Confrontations
by JMS529
Summary: Mary's father is arrested after leaving FBI custody to follow Mary & Brandi. Not all is as it seems but Mary will finally get to confront her father about his leaving & discover something else along the way. Rating will move to M for last chapter.
1. Chapter 1

This story was written for a request for LoneButterfly05 who requested a story about Mary and James meeting again. Hope this story is what you were lookinng for.

Thanks to Jamie for betaing this story for me.

**Confrontations**

Stan looked out his office window and saw his two best detectives behaving like juvenile delinquents. If he was honest with himself, they weren't being that bad, but both Mary and Marshall's desk areas were lined with spitballs that managed to miss their original target. This was the problem with having a slow week. The partners had turned in their paperwork, there were no witness problems, no new witnesses being brought in and currently no one was looking for two marshals to help them with anything. Stan was about to go yell at them when he heard the ping on his computer. Smiling he couldn't help but think that there was another case and he could get his miscreants out of the office for awhile.

Stan scrolled to the notice and his smiled disappeared. Reading the notice was about to get up and inform Mary, when his phone rang.

"McQueen."

"Chief McQueen, this is Agent Lowery with the F.B.I. We'd like to talk with one of your inspectors in regards to a suspect we arrested."

"Which inspector would that be?" Stan asked, playing dumb.

"Inspector Shannon. Her father was apprehended heading towards Phoenix. We have reason to believe he was in Albuquerque and would like to know what you're inspector knows about that. James Shannon is currently in transit to our holding cell in Albuquerque until he can be transported to Arizona," Lowery replied.

"Inspector Shannon and her partner will be sent over to talk about this as long as that's all it is. The F.B.I. had better not be on another witch hunt of my inspector," Stan said.

"Sir, he had photos of both his daughters and we think he was observing them from a distance. We just want to know if she saw anything or have any clues as to why he's here. I guarantee you there will be no witch hunt on our part," Lowery replied, knowing full well what happened to O'Connor.

"Marshall, my office now" Stan called out.

"The boy scout is in trouble?" Mary teased, but she could see the puzzlement on her partners face.

"What's wrong, Stan?"

"The F.B.I. just arrested Mary's father heading towards Phoenix. They think he was here in Albuquerque watching her and Brandi. They would like to ask Mary some questions. I figured she'd take the news better from you. I also want you to go with her and make sure that's all they're doing," Stan said, firmly.

"Please tell me it's not O'Connor," Marshall replied.

"No, you're to ask for Agent Lowery," Stan said.

"Marshall…" Stan started.

"I know, make sure they're not trying to railroad Mary. Keep her in line and don't let her do anything stupid," Marshall said, knowing the drill better than he should.

Marshall walked over to Mary's desk.

"Let's go outside and get a breath of fresh air."

Mary got up and followed Marshall out to the balcony.

"What did Stan want? Are you okay? Is everything okay?" Mary asked, whatever was said Marshall didn't want repeated in front of anyone else.

Marshall hated what he had to tell her. It felt like he was about to take a knife and stab her in the heart.

Mary could see the hesitancy on Marshall's face and got a sinking feeling in her gut. It wasn't bad news for him. It was about her and Stan knew that it would be better for her coming from Marshall. That didn't mean it was better for Marshall to have to be the one to tell her. She would need to talk to Stan about putting Marshall in the middle of her problems.

"Marshall, what did whoever in my family do wrong now? You wouldn't be hesitating if it was something about you. Just tell me. I'm a big girl and can take it."

Marshall brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning his forehead against hers. He wanted to pull her into his arms and shelter her from the cruel hand of fate that continually finds her.

"Marshall, just say it."

"The FBI located your father. He was arrested in New Mexico and was apparently heading towards Phoenix. He's currently being held in Albuquerque before they transport him to Phoenix to stand trial.

Mary didn't even realize she gasped until she felt Marshall's grip on her tighten in support. "What was he doing in New Mexico?"

"Apparently, following you and Brandi. The F.B.I. would like to talk to you about the photos. I'm going with you. It's not O'Connor either. They promised Stan it was just some questions about things they found. Anything that crosses the line of being proper we leave."

"Marshall, you don't have to go. I don't want to drag you down another Shannon family mess."

"If you think that I'm not going with you then you've apparently injured your head and are in dire need of medical attention. You're stuck with me, Mare. We do this together or it doesn't get done at all."

Mary couldn't help the brief smirk that crossed her face. She would never really understand what she did to deserve Marshall in her life, but she would be eternally grateful that he was.

"Do you need a few minutes before we go or do you want to get it over with? This is a lot to take in," Marshall said, watching the emotions that flashed over her face briefly.

"Let's just do this and get it over with" Mary replied, fighting the urge to cry.

This was the day she had longed for all her life. The man she had worshipped as a child was coming back into her life. The problem was she was torn by the excitement of seeing him again and the anger, no pain of his walking out to start a new family elsewhere. She felt numb and figured it was better to go before everything sunk in and her heart had time to register whatever was to come next.

Marshall grabbed his keys on the way towards the elevator. Mary grabbed her things off her desk, but had yet to say a word. He knew that she had to prepare herself, because she wouldn't want anyone to see the emotions that were going to rage inside of her. She was building up the walls to make sure the F.B.I. got nothing from her. She didn't trust them for good reason and she wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her react to her father's arrest. That would be done in private and with any luck, she would allow him to help her heal.

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Marshall kept stealing glances at Mary to make sure she was okay. She still hadn't said anything since the balcony. He could only imagine the emotional turmoil that she was going through. The question was which of her defense mechanisms were going to kick in during the questioning. He wished at the moment he had a crystal ball for that. It would at least help him prepare on how to keep Mary from getting in trouble.

"What do you need, Mare?" Marshall finally asked.

Mary couldn't help the small smirk that escaped. The one person in the world she'd want to do this with, was sitting next to her still asking what she needed. It was the only constant she had ever had in her life.

"For this to go away. Do you have any idea how this is going to go?" She snorted. "Wait until Jinx and Brandi find out. The melodramatics followed by the outrage. With my luck Jinx will end up on the wagon again. Then I'm going to have to hold their hands," Mary replied, irritably.

"I can help you with Jinx and Brandi, but I want to know what you need me to do for _you_," Marshall said.

"I need you to be you. Do what you always do. I need my partner and best friend to have my back," Mary whispered, softly. Her confession to Marshall made her sound weak to her ears.

"Always," Marshall responded, while reaching over and squeezing Mary's shoulder.

They parked and headed inside. Marshall wasn't sure which of them was more concerned about the questioning. The idea of once again having the F.B.I. coming after Mary's badge didn't appeal to him. Although he knew it wasn't O'Connor and was thrilled it wasn't Faber they had to deal with. He also had to remind himself to stay calm and if turned from questioning into an interrogation he had to pull Mary out of there. He wasn't putting her through another round of that crap.

Mary was tired of the family drama coming to bite her in the ass. It seemed like it also always dragged Stan and Marshall into it. She hated that they had to help her continually bail out her family. She was hoping that this Lowery was really just going to ask questions. She just wasn't going to let her guard down. She wasn't sure if the F.B.I. learned their lesson the last time.

Both their thoughts were interrupted as a tall older agent walked towards them.

"Inspectors Shannon and Mann, I'm Agent Lowery. If you would come this way we can talk in one of the conference rooms."

After they got settled into the conference room, Agent Lowery opened up the folder he'd been carrying.

"Inspector Shannon before we get started I just wanted to reiterate the fact that I'm not investigating you. I want to get a timeline on how long your father was here. I know that you've had problems with this agency in the past, but hope you'll be willing to work with me on this," Lowery said.

"How exactly are you expecting Inspector Shannon to help you with the timeline?" Marshall asked, feeling a little hope that this wasn't going to go sour in a hurry.

"When we arrested James at his hotel he had a slue of photos of both of his daughters. Some with notes and others just the photos. I was hoping the Inspector Shannon would be able to look at them and tell me the dates. I do have to warn you that some of the notes are opinionated. It looks like her father was keeping an eye on both the sisters from a distance," Lowery replied.

"Let's get this over with," Mary said, as Lowery handed her the folder of photos.

Lowery and his team had left the notes attached to them as that's how they were found and Mary could tell what he meant about them being opinionated. The first one that fell out of the folder was of her and Mark kissing on the way into her house. Her father expressed his clear displeasure over the situation. Not that he was necessarily wrong, but being absent from her life for so long didn't give him a right to any opinion in her mind. There were photos from her and Brandi shopping for her wedding dress, some of her and Marshall, Marshall by himself, Marshall and Abby, her at the adoption agency, coming from a doctor's appointment and some of her mother.

"He's been in Albuquerque for awhile; at least if he's the one that took the photos" Mary said, angrily.

"Why the hell was he taking photos of me? I mean I understand if I was with you at the time, but it's like he was following me around also" Marshall asked. It didn't make sense and of course there were no notes on those.

"Do you know if he was actually taking the photos? I would think he'd have been caught sooner if he was hanging around that long," Mary asked, Lowery. She didn't even want to think what her Dad taking pictures of Marshall's personal life implied.

"We think someone was helping him. I would agree with your assessment that he'd have been caught before now if he wasn't. Can the two of you tell me when the photos were taken?" Lowery asked. He could tell by the inspectors' reactions that they didn't have any clue as to the fact that they were being watched by James Shannon. He left them both with a pen and paper and had them mark the photos by the numbers they had assigned them to the dates that correlated to them.

They had both waited until Lowery left before they talked. They knew enough to not trust the FBI to be listening in.

"Mare, why would your Dad follow me around?"

"Marshall, I have no idea. I don't know why that man can't just stay the hell out of our lives. He walked out on us without a single word. What gives him the right to pretend his interested in what happens. He never came back no matter how long I waited for him or how many nights I prayed for his return. I hope he rots in jail," Mary hissed out.

"Mare, I know you're angry with him and rightfully so, but some how I don't think any one would wish someone a life in prison. He's still your Dad and while you may not be disillusioned by him anymore; a part of you still loves the man he was for the seven years he was in your life," Marshall said, knowing he was pushing his luck. "Tell me what you need."

"I need answers, Marshall. I want to know why we weren't good enough and why he turned to a life of crime. I need to know why he started over with another family and never once thought about the one he left behind. After all the crap Brandi and I went through growing up he doesn't deserve any part of our lives," Mary replied, swiping at the single tear that escaped. She felt like the eight year old girl who sat by the window staring at the cars driving by; waiting for the right one to pull up in the driveway and her father to step out and make everything okay.

"We'll ask him when they allow us to talk to him," Marshall replied.

"We and us?" Mary asked.

"You're not going by yourself. I've got your back," Marshall said, shrugging.

"Are you glutton for punishment?" Mary asked, trying to hide the smirk sneaking at the corner of her mouth.

"Apparently, I've been putting up with your abuse for awhile," Marshall replied, smiling when she slugged him in the shoulder.

They both went back to going over the photos. Finally finishing them up they realized just how long they had been watched. The photos showed everything in their lives and Brandi and Jinx's over the last year and a half. The pictures had ranged through Mary's pregnancy to the adoptive parents, Marshall and Abby moving in together and Abby moving out after their breakup. There were pictures of Mary and Marshall together afterwards and then Brandi dressed in her wedding gown through her crying as she called the wedding off. The only person that was rarely seen in the photos was Jinx.

"He's been watching the entire year," Mary whispered.

"I know," Marshall said, sympathetically. His mind trying to figure out why James had been having him followed also. It didn't make any sense.

Mary was mad enough that her father had invaded her and Brandi's personal life, but the fact that he felt the right to follow Marshall infuriated her. She had a feeling he was trying to tell her something, but it was something she had already figured out. Between her jealousy of Abby and her need for Marshall and only Marshall to be there for the birth of her son. While she knew Marshall had hoped in some ways that she'd keep the baby, he understood her reasoning for giving him up. She wasn't ready to be a single mom and it was in the best interest of her son to give him to a loving couple. Yes, she had almost changed her mind, but seeing Mark again and thinking of all that she had been through since growing up without a father; she realized she didn't want to make that mistake. After doing a serious background check, she had decided the Templetons were a good home for her child. They had to send pictures in to the agency and Mary could look at them if she wanted to see them. She knew she wouldn't be able to. It would hurt more than it already did. Whoever had said making the right choice wasn't always easy was a very smart person.

"I'm sorry he followed you," Mary said, honestly.

"It's not your fault Mare. Nothing that happened because of James is your fault," Marshall reassured.

"I'm going to have to tell Jinx and Brandi that he's been arrested. I'm not in the mood for more drama. Between the adoption and the cancelled wedding I think we've had enough for awhile. Why does he have to come back now?"

"I'll come with you. See if we can keep the drama to a minimum," Marshall offered.

Giving Lowry the information they quickly called Stan and let them know they were heading to talk with Brandi and Jinx. They didn't want them to hear it on the news or from someone else.

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"What could Mary possibly want to talk to us about? You don't think she's pregnant again, do you?" Jinx asked.

"I'm pretty sure you can rule that out Mom. That would require her actually dating someone and she hasn't done that since the adoption. We'll find out soon enough. Just sit down and relax," Brandi replied.

"Relax, after everything I've been through this year? First I was supposed to be a grandmother, but my daughter gives the baby to another family and you were supposed to be marrying a very nice man and called it off. Nothing positive has happened yet this year," Jinx whined.

"Don't start on that again. Mary did what she thought was best for the baby and in hindsight I don't think she was wrong. Her job isn't good for being a single Mom and it's not like you and I are the best babysitters. Peter and I were moving faster than I was ready for. I put way too much pressure on myself to try and please his family and associates. It was my fault and not Peter's but it was the best decision for me. Mary and I both did what we had to for us. This has nothing to do with you. It was done for the best interest of all involved," Brandi replied. "I should've stayed out of Mary's personal life and not pushed Mark on her. It would have saved them both a lot of grief. It's way past time for us to stop trying to influence things to go the way we want them and not what the other members of this family want for themselves."

It had been a hard lesson learned, but realizing what kind of pain Mary had gone through Brandi finally realized her mistakes. She may not be the brightest bulb on the block, but she did eventually learn. Just so she remembered the mistakes. Her thought was interrupted by the sound of a SUV pulling into the driveway and two doors closing. Mary brought Marshall with; she had a feeling this wasn't going to be good.

Mary entered with Marshall following behind her. Seeing Jinx pacing, Mary wanted to roll her eyes. Her mother had been playing out drama since her and Brandi 'ruined' her life. Trying not to roll her eyes she took a calming breath before proceeding.

"Jinx, sit down," Mary ordered.

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm not a child," Jinx complained.

"Trust me, you'll want to sit down," Mary replied.

Jinx finally complied and looked towards Mary. "Happy now?"

"So what's going on?" Brandi asked.

"James Shannon has been arrested in Phoenix. I don't have any information on when he can be seen or the date of the trial currently. The FBI will want to talk to both of you more than likely; especially you Brandi. He's been following you, me and Marshall for over a year," Mary said.

"Marshall?" Brandi asked, confused.

"We don't know why he was following me," Marshall said.

"You know this how and was he following me?" Jinx asked.

"We had to talk to the FBI to give them a time frame that the photos he had were from. We're not even sure he was doing all the following. He might have hired someone for some of the time. We just don't know. It doesn't appear that he was following you. The only pictures they have at this point with you in them are when you were with Brandi or me," Mary replied.

"I see. I'm not important enough to follow," Jinx said.

"That's something you'll need to ask James or it could be that they don't have all of the photos," Marshall said, trying to cut Mary some slack.

"How soon before we can talk to him?" Brandi asked.

"The earliest would be after the processed him and possibly not until after the trial. That is up to the FBI," Marshall supplied.

"Does his other family know?" Brandi asked.

"I don't know what the Griffins know. The FBI didn't mention them," Mary replied. "Look, we have to get back to work. I'll let you know if I find out anything else."

"So, we just wait and do nothing? He's my husband. I have a right to know what is going on," Jinx said.

Mary wanted to roll her eyes at the dramatics again. Jinx was in full swing and she figured it was just a matter of time before the baby and wedding came up. She looked to Marshall and hid the smirk that wanted to escape when she realized he was already thinking of a way to put things politely.

"For now it's best to keep your distance from James. Anything else will put you under a fine microscope by the FBI and could get you charged with crimes you didn't commit. The best thing you can do is wait until the trial is over and then confront him. It's truly in your best interest to avoid contact with him. Mary and I are also doing the same. Mare, weren't you going to grab an away bag for a few days?" Marshall asked, knowing full well Mary needed to be away from Brandi and Jinx to wrap her head around what was happening. The two could brainstorm and try to figure it out.

Mary almost didn't realize Marshall was offering her an escape. She stared at him for a few seconds before it registered what he said.

"You're leaving? Don't you think you should be staying with us during this crisis?" Jinx asked, shocked.

"I have a job to do. James was a part of my life for less than eight years. It's not a crisis for us. He's the one on trial. Marshall and I have our own work to do. I'll call you in a few days to make sure everything is alright," Mary said, walking to her bedroom to get packed.

"How do you know Dad was following you and that you weren't in photos just because?" Brandi asked, curiously.

"There were photos of me on dates with Abby. Mary wasn't around. Don't get me wrong there are some with me and Mary and there is also one with you, Peter, Abby and Oscar when we ran into each other on the ghost walk. There are too many of me on my own to say that he wasn't watching me. Why he would do that is anyone's guess at this point."

"Ready?" Mary asked, entering the room with her bags.

Mary and Marshal were heading towards the office when Marshall's cell rang.

"Marshall."

"It's Stan. Where are you and Mary?"

"We're about seven minutes from the office."

"James is refusing to talk to anyone, but Mary and you. The FBI wants you two at their offices too and see what information you can get out of him. Marshall, Mary's going to need you more than she ever has."

"I know that Stan and I'll do what I do best," Marshall replied, trying to not let Mary know what he and Stan were discussing. Mary already knew that he's have her back for anything, but this was personal and Mary doesn't do personal well. She come to him, but doesn't need to think Stan forced him into it. She should know better by now, but he also knew a lot of raw emotions were going to be coming up for Mary.

Mary knew they were talking about her. She could tell by the way Marshall was choosing his words carefully. Stan was telling him to take care of her, which why he bothered Mary didn't know. Marshall always had her back and this would be no exception. She could bite, scratch, kick and mutilate Marshall, but he'd still come back licking his wounds and ready to go another round with her to make sure she came out alright.

"Tell Stan to stop harassing you about me, so that we can go do whatever it is he needs us to do. How long have we all worked together?" Mary huffed.

"That's my girl. We'll check in with you later Stan," Marshall said, hanging up. "FBI wants us to go talk to your Dad. He won't talk to anyone, but us."

"Well now you finally get to complete the circle of meeting the world's most messed up family. I'm sorry he's dragging you into this Marshall. I honestly don't know why," Mary said, biting her lower lip.

"It's not your fault and I'd rather be here then have you dealing with him on your own. Let's go see if he can shed some light on his past and present activities."

They parked at the FBI building and Marshall noticed Mary take a few deep breaths. He knew whatever happened with James; Mary wouldn't let it out of her system until they were well away from the FBI. He was glad she hadn't argued about staying at his place for awhile. She needed time away from Jinx in order to cope. He knew full well Mary was way more upset about this then she appeared.

Agent Lowery met them as they entered into the building.

"Thanks for coming. James refuses to speak with anyone; but the two of you. Then he'll tell us what we want to know. We need his information. James is one of the smaller fishes in a large organization. We're not going to offer him Witness Protection for his testimony; but if he gives us the information we want and testifies against the others then he'll get a reduced sentence." Lowery informed them.

"Did he say what he wanted to talk to us about?" Mary asked.

"No, just what I told you. I think his curiosity to know more about what has happened to you over the years is playing into effect here. Honestly, for all I know he could be blowing smoke up our ass just to have fun. I'm willing to give a little leeway if we can get his testimony," Lowery replied.

"Let's just go in and see what he wants, Mare. The sooner we do that the sooner a whole lot of questions get answered," Marshall said, knowing they could theorize all day without coming up with the right answer.

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James Shannon sat in the interrogation room waiting patiently. He new Mary would come to talk to him and so would her partner. He needed them to be seen here especially since his old associates would be watching. There were also a few things he wanted to tell Mary about her choices in life. He watched as his daughter and her partner entered.

"Princess," James greeted.

"James," Mary replied.

James smile faded when Mary didn't call him Dad.

"Sweetheart, I know that you're probably upset…" James started, but was cut off.

"Don't princess or sweetheart me. You lost that right a long time ago. What do you want with Marshall and me? I have things to do that don't revolve around you," Mary said, harshly.

"Mary, please can we just talk?" James replied.

"Why? You suddenly feel the need to make up for thirty some years of being absent. Hell, even when you lived with us you were gone for days or weeks at a time. What makes you think that we have anything to say to each other? I don't need you, anymore. Why don't you call your other family? They might actually be happy to see you. Apparently, you managed to figure out a way to stay in their lives for most of it," Mary said, bitterly.

"I did what was best at the time for you and your sister. I never lost track of you," James replied, noticing the way Marshall watched the interaction. The man hadn't interfered yet, but he could tell he would if it got out of hand.

"We saw the pictures. What you decided to do was in the best interest of you. It had nothing to do with me or Brandi. You left me to take care of an infant while you sent your wife further into the bottle. I got the distinct pleasure of dealing with both of them. As for keeping track, you have no right to follow us. When you left you should've stayed gone. Plus what the hell gives you the right to follow Marshall? He has nothing to do with the likes of you and I'd prefer to keep it that way," Mary fumed.

"I'm your father and have the right to track the people you interact with to make sure they're good enough for my princess. You think it's easy being on the sidelines watching you make so many mistakes and not seeing what's right in front of you? Mark, seriously you slept with the man who cheated on you on your honeymoon. You gave up my grandchild to another couple to raise. I had the right to see my grandbaby and to make sure he was taken care of. Marshall is a part of yours and Brandi's life. I needed to know that he was good enough to be in it," James said.

"I made a lot of mistakes? This from the crook. What I do or don't do is of none of your concern. That baby wasn't your grandchild and you have no right to interfere with his happiness. Marshall doesn't need your approval. He has mine. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. He doesn't need to measure up to your standards, because he's so far above you that you will never be able to compare," Mary replied.

Marshall decided it was time to interfere. This was getting them no where and if Mary continued this path, more than likely nothing would ever come out of James.

"So what did you need to talk to the both of us about?" Marshall asked, calmly.

Mary turned towards her partner, glaring a hole through him until she realized that he was trying to get them back on track. In her anger and resentment she forgot briefly they needed to get him to talk to the FBI.

"I wanted to tell you to watch your backs. If the FBI knows that I was having you followed and was following you that they might come after you to get to me. Mary, I understand your anger; but don't let my walking out on you force you to miss the opportunities that stare you in the face day after day. If you open your eyes to them you'll see that happiness can be found if you look in the right direction. Marshall, I ask that you take care of my girls if someone does come after them. I'll tell the FBI what they need to know but I need to make sure my family is safe" James said. He hoped the underlining message reached his daughter. For eight years happiness walked by her side, she just needed to reach out and hold onto it. She had never needed him in her life, but his other family did. Once she figured out what he was doing and had done she'd never forgive him.

"I'll always protect Mary. She's my partner and we have each other's backs. It's what we do. I'll make sure Brandi stays safe also," Marshall replied.

"Thank you. I'm ready to talk to the FBI," James said, not even two seconds later Lowery was in the room. Mary and Marshall were asked to leave.

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Stan was sitting in his office anxiously awaiting the return of his inspectors. He wanted to make sure that Mary was alright. He knew Marshall would take care of her, but he also had the feeling things were going to get complicated. They always did when Mary's family was involved. The ping announcing the arrival of the elevator had Stan up and meeting Mary and Marshall as they entered.

"Well?" Stan asked.

Mary didn't say a word just strode over to her desk and began booting up her computer.

"James thought it was a good idea to explain to Mary the mistakes of her life. She pretty much told him to piss off. On the other hand, he's worried one of the people he's going to testify against may come after Mary or Brandi. He's right about the fact that if he found them, the men he worked for could also. I'll stick with Mary, but we might want to put someone on Brandi as a safety precaution," Marshall replied.

"You really think they might come after Mary and Brandi? James has been out of their lives for years. I know he's had photos and followed them, but he's never bothered to contact either one," Stan said.

"We've seen criminals go after others for less Stan. I don't want to take a chance with Mary or Brandi's lives. They've both been through enough lately."

"Alright. I'll assign an inspector to stay with Brandi. Make sure Mary lets her know she's getting one. Is Mary really okay?"

"As okay as she can be under the circumstances. She's angry and pissed off; more so than normal. She's earned that right. I think we're in for a long bumpy ride." Marshall shrugged and moved to his desk.

Mary hadn't said a word in over an hour and she knew that Marshall was casting glances at her. The last words spoken were to Brandi to let her know about the security detail. After that her father's words kept spinning in her head. She didn't know what made her angrier her father's judgments on her life or the fact that he included Marshall into his sick twisted little world. A part of her worried that these men that were after her father would come after Marshall. She already knew he'd be hovering over her at his house; but she was going to need to keep a close eye on him. Her father hadn't told her the complete truth of why he was watching Marshall. If he did it was hidden in the comment about being too blind to see what was in front of her.

"Doofus, let's go check on some witnesses," Mary said, standing up. She needed to get out of the office, before her head exploded trying to figure everything out.

"How about lunch and then witnesses?" Marshall asked.

"Since you offered to treat, why not," Mary replied, knowing Marshall needed to know she was okay. Teasing would lessen his worry, it was what they did.

"Is there any other way this works?" Marshall asked, grabbing his keys, gun and badge before they headed towards the elevator.

Mary knew that Marshall was watching her to determine how she was holding up. She just wasn't ready to talk yet. Her head was spinning over what her father had said. There was more to the message then what her father said. James didn't just want Marshal to keep an eye on her and Brandi there was something they weren't putting together.

"I can smell the smoke from here. Why don't you stop staring out the window and start running those thoughts by me? Together we can put it together easier then you can by yourself. Talk to me Mare."

"Something doesn't add up with what James was saying. He was hinting at something and there was a double meaning to his words," Mary said, as they pulled into the diner parking lot.

After the waitress left from taking their orders, Marshall started to think over what Mary said and what James had mentioned. He wanted to protect his family. The photos were of Mary, Brandi and him. There were none of the Griffins. Marshall grabbed his cell and hit speed dial.

"What?" Mary asked, knowing Marshall had come to some conclusion.

"McQueen."

"Stan, we have a bigger problem than we had originally thought," Marshall said.

"Where are you going with this Marshall?" Stan asked.

"When we were talking to James he mentioned that he was trying to protect his family. We thought he was talking about me watching Brandi and Mary. Have the F.B.I. contacted the Griffins? They have three children; two daughters and a son. All of the photos he took here were of Mary, Brandi and I. If whoever is after him was watching him they would have noted he was checking out the three of us. We're the damn decoy. Get his other family, Stan."

"I'll have a team in Miami pick them up and in the meantime I want you and Mary to stay together. Most of the photos were Mary's house so stay at yours. I'll also get Brandi and Jinx a detail. If you're right they'll be coming after you to get to James," Stan replied.

"Stan, find out who James is testifying against. I want to know what we're up against," Marshall said, closing the phone.

"He's using us to protect his other family? It's bad enough that he is using Brandi and me, but to drag you into the middle of it," Mary said, angrily.

Marshall relayed the conversation Stan and he had until the waitress dropped off breakfast.

"Well I guess we know who matters most to James," Mary muttered.

"Then that makes him a fool, Mare. It's his loss not yours. This is his own stupidity. It has nothing to do with you as a person," Marshall said.

"Then why does it feel like it?" Mary asked.

"Because a part of you is still the little girl who used to adore her father that walked out on her. I know that you probably don't want to hear this, but that man is gone. His best achievement was bringing you into this world. His biggest mistake was not seeing it. He made the mistake of walking away and never knowing Brandi and leaving you behind. You can't control who he is and what he did, but you have turned into a strong, determined woman that has a soft side buried underneath a lot of complicated layers. He gave me one of the best friends that I could ever have," Marshall replied, kissing her on the forehead before they headed back to the car.

Mary smirked at that. She still wondered how it was that she had been lucky enough to get Marshall in her life. She was going to have to be a better friend to him. She'd been working on it but it wasn't easy to lower her defenses.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

James paced his cell. He'd betrayed one family to save another. He regretted putting Mary and Brandi in that position, but with her job she'd be able to keep her sister safe. He didn't have a doubt that Marshall would protect Mary. It was why he used them for a decoy. When Mary had destroyed the bug in her house it left him at a disadvantage. He had wanted to know what was going on in case anything ever hit the fan. The men after him would kill his family, if he didn't stop them. With Mary's career choice it gave him the perfect opportunity to use one family to protect the other. He knew it was wrong, but sometimes people had to make tough choices. He wasn't sure if leaving Mary and Brandi with Jinx was better or worse, then setting them up as targets. At least Mary would be able to survive without his help. She had enough people in her life to protect her if she needed their help. He added a few extra law enforcement personnel to help by throwing Marshall into the mix.

Lauren, Scott, Melissa and his wife Sarah wouldn't stand a chance. He had to protect them at all cost. He knew it would cost him his other family, but he'd already lost them when he walked out of their lives. For years, he had thought about going back for Mary and Brandi, but the truth would have destroyed the life he built with Sarah. It meant everything to him. Jinx was always an alcoholic and would never change. He was trapped in a life he didn't want. After he left, he had eventually straightened out and ran into Sarah working at a casino. He had changed everything for her. The problem was he couldn't tell her about Jinx or the kids. She'd never understand him walking out on his first family. He wasn't sure he could explain the why he left her and the kids to go into hiding. It was the only way to protect them. He hoped the rest of his plan went well.


	2. Chapter 2

Mary and Marshall were just pulling into his driveway when Marshall's cell went off.

"Mann."

"Marshall, it's Stan. There's a change in plans. Do not go in your house. I'm arranging a safe house for the two of you to stay in. Brandi and Jinx are on a plane out of town. Go get some clothes from a store and head to our newest safe house. The new and less heard of one. Let me know when you are there and I'll give you more information. Marshall, keep your eyes open," Stan said, before hanging up.

Mary looked over to Marshall when she noticed him putting the car in reverse.

"We get a new witness?"

"Ourselves," Marshall replied, filling Mary in on his conversation with Stan.

"You're kidding right. This is ridiculous. The man hasn't been around for years and is still finding a way to make my life miserable. He dragged you into this, Marshall. That is not okay. It's bad enough to use Brandi and me, but to put a target on your back is inexcusable," Mary fumed.

"It really doesn't matter if I was a target or not I'd still be in the thick of this. Let's just go shop and head to the safe house. Stan is going to fill us in and then we can come up with a plan and do some research" Marshall replied.

"Marshall, I'm not going to stay in hiding forever."

"Had no intention of doing that either. We'll need to research the information Stan is going to give us and we can do that at the safe house. This ought to give Papa Stan a chance to feel better about our safety." Marshall said, smirking.

"I think your whore rate is increasing," Mary replied, smiling when Marshall just laughed.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan finally received the whole file from the F.B.I. and couldn't prevent the swear word as it slipped out of his lips. Just as he was about to call Marshall; his phone rang.

"McQueen."

"This is Adams from the Miami branch. I have some information for you."

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Marshall and Mary had been at the safe house for an hour waiting for Stan's call. Marshall had already set up his laptop and was hoping to be able to start up right away. Mary and he would start getting anxious in no time flat. Not to mention Mary was driving him crazy by packing back and forth.

"Mare, what do you need?"

"I need this to go away. I need James to not be the scumbag that we seem to think he is. I need answers. I can get him walking out on Jinx. She was always in the bottle. They fought a lot. I don't understand the life of crime or what the Griffins have to make him stay for them and apparently live a normal life. I'm assuming he left them to keep whoever is testifying from killing them just to set us up to take the fall. All these years Marshall; all these years of idolizing a man that would set us up to be killed to protect his other family. We were worthless to him. He could've come back for us, but he didn't. He left us with an alcoholic mother so, that he can live the life that he had always wanted," Mary said, swiping the tears that streaked down her face angrily.

"I wish I could give you the answers that you want to hear, but I can't only James could. He was a fool. I know that his greatest mistake led to one of the best things that has ever happened to me. As much as I hate that your past was so hard; it made you the person you are today and led our paths to cross. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without my best friend in it. For that, I'll always be grateful to James Shannon. I'll always despise how much he hurt you but I can't regret where it led you," Marshall said, pulling Mary close as she released some of the pent up pain.

An hour later Mary was sleeping on the sofa when Marshall's cell rang; looking at the caller id he noticed it was Stan.

"Stan, what do you have?" Marshall asked, softly trying to let Mary sleep.

"James Shannon is testifying against several members of Vinicius Rojas drug cartel," Stan replied.

"The Columbian drug cartel? How the hell did he get mixed up with them?"

"One of the robberies he committed at the banks contained some of the monetary funds belonging to Rojas. Apparently Rojas men found out and they worked out a deal where he'd help them. In return Rojas would leave him and his family alone. Rojas was aware that James had two daughters and a son, but he never knew where they were or what they looked like. James made sure to move his family and stay away from them" Stan replied.

"Rojas gets close and James starts following Mary, Brandi and I to keep him off the Griffins trail. Wait, you said that Rojas doesn't know what the Griffin children look like. They're thinking that Mary, Brandi and I are the children. If they're here looking for us why not set up a trap. You can use me as bait. I can go to my house and we can set the trap there," Marshall suggested.

"Hell no. Not only hell no, absolutely positively not," Mary yelled at Marshall sitting up on the couch.

"Mare, it makes sense. We can set the trap and catch these men," Marshall replied, calmly.

"If we're setting up a trap then you're using me and not you. You're not a Shannon and I'm not letting you put your life in danger or getting you killed because of something that my father dragged you into for some stupid reason!" Mary ranted.

"Marshall, neither of you is going to be used as bait. Put me on speaker phone," Stan said, waiting for Marshall to put him on speaker. "The plan is to set up a defense at the courthouse. We'll limit who can get in and most of the people in the courthouse will be U.S. Marshal's. If they can't get to you before the trial they'll go after James before or after. I know the two of you aren't going to want to stay holed up somewhere for the next month before the trial begins. Lay low for a week and then you can come into the office. You are not going on any witness transports or visits until this is over. I can't have them compromised over this situation. I still don't want either of you at your homes. They followed you and know where you live. We'll move you through several other safe houses after this week is up. I want the two of you safe. Keep an eye on each other's backs."

"Duh," Mary replied getting up and smacking Marshall in the arm. "You are not bait and will not become bait. What the hell were you thinking?" Mary snapped.

"I was thinking we could end this once and for all. No offense, but how many crime family members want a male heir. They place significance on it as they would be the next to inherit the family business. Since James has them thinking I'm the brother, it would make sense for them to come after me. In their eyes it wipes out the only living male heir to James Shannon," Marshall replied, shrugging. Standing up he went to stretch when he saw the car speeding down the road weapons pointed at the house. "Gun!"

Mary heard the warning seconds before her body was being slammed into the ground and covered by Marshall. Reaching out for her cell phone which conveniently fell out near her she hit Stan's number.

"McQueen."

"We need backup yesterday," Mary called into the phone as more glass shattered and bullets littered the room.

Stan could hear the shots. "They're on their way. So am I. Where are you?"

"Living room," Mary replied.

"Get into the bathroom. We'll be there in less than four minutes. Albuquerque P.D has some squads in the area and Stevens and Mitchell are two blocks over" Stan informed.

"Got it," Mary replied.

"What's the plan?" Marshall said.

Mary relayed Stan's message.

"Alright, you go and I'll cover. Don't argue, Mare there isn't time."

Mary huffed, but as soon as Marshall rolled off her she moved as quickly as she could without being shot towards the hallway with Marshall using the couch for cover and shooting at their company. She pulled her gun out and signaled for Marshall to move. He quickly scrambled towards her as she provided fire to cover his actions. They made their way into the bathroom and both sat guns facing the door.

They could hear the continued sound of gunfire followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the wall. They looked at each other and both knew the door had been kicked in. Mary moved into the bathtub to take a defensive stand. She indicated to Marshall to join her; but he shook his head and tried to squeeze his tall frame in between the vanity and the toilet.

"Doofus, you're going to get killed there," Mary hissed.

"They have to get in first. Somehow when they start turning that handle I doubt either of us won't be shooting," Marshall replied. They both waited to hear someone come down the hall, but the only thing they heard was silence.

A knock on the door made them both look at each other again before a smirk appeared on their faces.

"Mary, Marshall?" Stan asked, while knocking.

"Did you get them?" Mary asked climbing out of the tub while Marshall stood up.

Stan opened the door. "They left when they saw the company arriving."

"How the hell did they know to find us here?" Mary asked.

"We obviously have a leak. I'm making arrangements for the two of you that only the three of us are going to know about. Are either of you hurt?" Stan asked.

"I'll be picking glass out of my hair for weeks," Mary said, thinking of all the glass that shattered around them. It was then she thought about it. Marshall had thrown himself on top of her and she still had gotten glass in her hair with him covering her. They weren't wearing vests.

Marshall didn't even get a chance to answer when Mary grabbed him and turned him around.

"Take off your shirt, Marshall." Mary demanded.

"Mary, I think that is highly inappropriate with the boss standing right here," Marshall teased.

"Damn it Marshall, stop screwing around. Take off the damn shirt," Mary said, taking in all the slices to the fabric on the back of his shirt.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Stan asked, hearing the urgency in Mary's voice.

Mary twisted Marshall so Stan could see while Marshall strained to turn his head to see what had Mary flustered.

"Marshall, take off the shirt. We need to see how bad the cuts are," Stan said, realizing Marshall was still feeling the adrenaline high that followed a shoot out and probably didn't feel any of the cuts that had to be on his back.

Mary lost patience as Marshall slowly began to undo the shirt one button at a time. Turning him so he faced her she smacked his hands out of her way and practically ripped the shirt off.

"Hey, you could be more careful with my things," Marshall complained.

"You won't be wearing it again. Now lose the tank or do I need to do that for you also?" Mary asked, glaring at him.

Marshall knew full well she would follow through on that threat so he quickly removed the tank while Stan and Mary turned him again so they could inspect his back.

"They don't look too deep. Mostly just some superficial cuts; but I want him looked at to make sure," Stan said. "Stevens, you take over the crime scene until I return. Mitchell you're escorting us to the hospital while they look Mary and Marshall over."

"Hey, I'm fine. Why do I have to be looked over? Marshall is the one who has cuts."

"Because I said so and I'm the boss," Stan replied, as he handed Marshall his tank back.

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Stan watched Marshall to see if any pain showed up on his face as the doctor inspected the many lacerations on his back. None had seemed overly serious, but he was not taking a chance that one could come infected if Marshall wasn't given something for it. He had a hard enough time with Mary to get checked out. Stan wanted to make sure that none of the glass had cut her head. Dealing with one of the two partners was bad enough when trying to get them checked out when they would only insist that they were fine.

Mary walked in and looked at Stan. "The doctor almost gave me a sucker for being such a good kid, Dad."

Stan didn't miss the sarcastic tone. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Any cuts or injuries I need to know about?"

"Nope, somebody decided to play protector and take all them for himself. The only thing they could find were some pieces of glass in my hair. No cuts. So Doc, is he going to make it?" Mary asked, teasingly knowing the wounds couldn't be that bad by the way Marshall was reacting to being looked over.

"Just a few that are a little deep, nothing that would need stitches. I want him to put the ointment that I'm about to prescribe him on the wounds and keep the deeper ones covered after applying the ointment to them. He's obviously going to need help with those as they are out of his reach. Is there someone that will be with you to help?" the doctor asked, looking to Marshall.

"He won't be alone, Doc," Mary replied.

"Let me get the prescription and he is free to go," the doctor said leaving briefly.

"Where are we going to Stan?" Mary asked.

"Sedona, Arizona. A friend of mine owns a cabin there that he rents out and is putting you up there until the trial starts. No one will look for you there. James is being moved to Phoenix in a couple of days. They are working on pushing up the trial date. They were worried about jury tampering happening. Apparently someone had made an offer to fix the list of jurors. The judge is keeping the advanced date request out of the press. They have had plenty of time to prepare since your Dad was caught apparently earlier but managed to escape. The trial date is going to come quick and fast if the prosecutor gets his way. While they're prepping for trial the FBI doesn't want you visiting James unless he refuses to cooperate. We're still looking for his other family."

"You mean the one he protected by using us as targets. I'll wait to see him, but I guarantee you that I want to have a word with the man before he goes off to prison," Mary replied, heatedly.

"Understood. The jet is fueled and ready. Marshall I packed some of your things from your house so that you would have what you needed and Mary, Delia packed up some clothes for you. If there is anything else that you need order it online and send it to this address," Stan said, handing Marshall the information. "My friend will bring it to you. The cabin is stocked with enough supplies to get you through the next two weeks. Let's go.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mathieu Pereira walked into his boss's office. He was nervous about reporting the news he received from the team sent to take care of James's son and daughters.

"What's the word from our team? " Vinicius Rojas asked.

"They were unable to kill the son or eldest daughter. They also haven't been able to locate the wife or youngest daughter. The team had kicked in the door when the Marshal Service and police department showed up. They took off in order to be able to go after them again. It was their decision that it would be unwise to have continued at that time. Luiz has reported that he and Guilherme are working on squeezing the informant harder."

"Our informant has his own children. Get them and make sure he talks and soon. These people are going to be protected and we're not going to get a chance to find them soon. If that happens we have to prepare our plan for the courthouse. It will be crawling with federal agents."

"Yes, sir."

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Mary drove the SUV towards the cabin. Marshall had programmed it into the GPS and Mary insisted he close his eyes and relax. They were closed she knew; but the tension was in his jaw line. She hated it was there because of her. They were going to have to talk about this. Mary wasn't looking forward to the discussion. It would have to wait until Marshall had his back checked over again and they both got some rest. It had already been a very long day.

"I know that you aren't sleeping, Marshall. I've known you far too long. What is going on in that head of yours?"

Marshall sighed. What he was about to say wasn't going to go over well or at least would cause another break in Mary's heart caused by her father.

"Your father has to be well acquainted with some shady people in order for the federal government to be struggling to find his other family. Who else is or was James working for? We now know for a fact it wasn't our side" Marshall replied, forgetting Mary didn't know yet.

"How do we know that for a fact?" Mary asked, realizing Marshall knew something she didn't and apparently was tired enough to have let it slip.

Marshall could have shot himself at that point.

"I was going to tell you at the house, but the shooting started. Stan called in a few dozen favors and had any and all friends in positions within the government run a check to see if James had been working for them or was in the WITSEC program. All results were negative. He has to know someone with connections to keep his other family in hiding," Marshall replied.

Mary felt better knowing Marshall hadn't been holding out on her, but was infuriated over the one sided view of James. She sneaked a peak at Marshall's face and knew he was worried.

"Not mad at you Doofus. I'm pretty sure bullets flying around count as a big enough distraction to forget to mention that" Mary said, smirking hoping it would ease some of Marshall's tensions.

"We're missing some major pieces to this puzzle, Mare. There is more to your father's story then meets the eye. I have a feeling it's more than anyone is seeing. How else could he have stayed hidden for so long. If he crossed paths with a cartel, who else did he meet and strike deals with?" Marshall asked, rubbing his hand across his forehead trying to alleviate the headache that was forming.

"Let's try not to worry about it for now. I know there is a lot we need to discuss and work through, but giving yourself a headache in the process isn't going to help. It's been a long day. The cabin is only fifteen minutes away if I calculated right according to the GPS. When we get there, we can clean out the wounds, put the ointment on, bandage you up and eat before going to sleep. Tomorrow we can start trying to get the pieces together."

When Marshall nodded and didn't object Mary knew he was tired. She had a feeling his back was sore, but he wasn't saying anything. Finally seeing the cabin she sighed in relief. She was worn out emotionally and physically. Sometimes she swore trying to keep her emotional side together was more exhausting than anything she'd ever done for the Marshal Service.

"Honey, we're home," Mary teased.

"Good view with plenty of space to retreat or make a stand if necessary. All covered up by the ideal look of a little vacation home. I think Stan's friend never completely lost whatever law enforcement side he had in him," Marshall replied, while surveying the area.

"Let's just get in and check it out."

"As you wish, Sunshine."

"I'll Sunshine your ass, if you're not careful buddy."

"Promises, promises, all the time promises."

Mary couldn't help but chuckle as she found the hidden key. Opening the door they walked in to a rustic country decorated living room with a fireplace. Walking around Mary went into the kitchen quickly and Marshall moved to the door that lead out to a patio with a whirlpool.

"We have a whirlpool with a view of the mountains," Marshall called out as he heard Mary opening and closing doors to make sure Stan had the right food there.

Mary liked the idea of the whirlpool; it might help them relax some. While Marshall gazed out at the mountain Mary headed towards the back of the cabin. When she entered the hallway in the back she noticed only two doors. Opening the first she entered the bathroom. Heading towards the second she opened it and noticed that the bedroom only contained one king size bed. Shrugging she headed back towards the living room.

"Looks like there's only one bedroom," Mary said, casually.

"I can sleep on the couch. It's not a big deal," Marshall replied, shrugging.

"It's a king size bed Marshall. I'm sure we can share. You will never fit on that sofa comfortably, no matter how hard you try to contort your body. The bathroom is the first door on the left and the door at the end of the hallway is the bedroom. Go take a shower and when you're done lay on top of the bed with your shirt off. I'll put the ointment and bandages on."

Mary knew that he would put his shirt on if not specifically instructed. She was always rather amused by his modesty. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be raised by normal parents. Though after meeting Seth, Mary assumed his Mom had more to do with the way Marshall turned out and she would be eternally grateful for that. She still liked Seth but relished Marshall's softer side. It's that side that set him apart from all the other men she'd ever known. Yes, Raph had a soft side also, but with Marshall she could really open up and feel comfortable with him. Maybe that is why happy was so far buried when she had been with Raph. She had been trying to figure that out for awhile now. Mary had been so lost in her thoughts as she sat on the bed waiting for Marshall that she jumped when he spoke.

"You okay?" Marshall asked, as he called her name twice before she heard him. Her jumping at his voice spoke volumes.

"I'm fine. Just a bunch of random thoughts circling in my head," Mary shrugged.

"Under the circumstances, it doesn't surprise me," Marshall said, before lying on the bed. "You sure you don't want me on the couch?"

Mary couldn't stop the smile. "Yes and I'm sure there will be no need for a chastity belt. My honor will still be in tact in the morning. What year do we live in?"

"Some how I doubt that. I'm sure you honor went out in high school," Marshall replied, amused by Mary's comment.

Mary was about to smack him, but with his bare back showing all the cuts from the glass he received protecting her; she just didn't have it in her.

"I'm sure you'd love to know. Where's the ointment?" Mary asked, realizing how bad that sounded after their previous comments.

Marshall didn't even answer her. He just handed her the ointment and laid his head sideways on the pillow.

"You sure you're okay?" Mary asked, worried by the lack of her partner talking. When he didn't answer she gently touched the side of his face. "Marshall?"

"Tired, Mare. I promise nothing more. Just tired."

Mary nodded, even though he couldn't see it with his eyes closed. She got off the bed and grabbed the bandages before returning. Looking at the bottle of ointment she began to wonder if it really was enough. He had cuts from his shoulder blade down to the top of his jeans. The doctor was right only a few were of any depth, but it still bothered her.

Mary began to wonder which way to do this would be best. A part of her thought about putting a glob on and rubbing it over him like suntan lotion. She worried that she would use too much of it and wouldn't have enough to make sure the deeper cuts didn't get infected.

Marshall closed his eyes tighter as he felt Mary's finger gently begin to trace the cuts as she placed the ointment on his back. The feel of just the skin of her finger on his bare back conjured up images that would get him into serious trouble if he let his mind wander too far. He didn't want to embarrass himself by letting on he liked the feel of her skin on his. Granted he would like a lot more of her skin, but that was a different thought entirely and he couldn't afford to go there. One inappropriate moan and Mary would cut an important part of his anatomy off. He willed himself to start reciting the letters of the alphabet and associate a word with it before applying the definition to it. He could do this.

Mary found herself fascinated by her finger running over Marshall's marred skin. A strange need began to stir inside of her to kiss each cut to make it better, before she put the ointment on. Seeing this much bare skin on Marshall was an odd experience within itself. It was the first time she actually saw this much of him bared to her and she found herself enjoying the view. Shaking her head she tried to get herself to concentrate on Marshall's wounds and not the rising temperature of her body. Mary could tell by the way Marshall's body began to relax that he was starting to fall asleep. She was almost done when she reached one of the deeper wounds and Marshall grunted in pain.

"Marshall?"

"I'm okay that one just stung a little when you touched it. It's fine."

"I'm sorry."

"No need. I'm fine, Mare."

"It's the last one. Let me get the bandages on so you can get some sleep. I'll take a shower and we can call it a night," Mary replied, while carefully putting on the bandages.

Marshall felt her get off the bed and was going to put his shirt on; he was tired so decided to close his eyes for just a few minutes before putting the shirt on. Mary walked out of the shower changed into her pajamas and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Marshall sleeping with one hand holding his t-shirt. She knew full well that he intended to put it on but fell asleep before he could. She climbed into the bed carefully for fear of waking him, turned on her side to face Marshall. She loved watching the peaceful look on his face while he slept. It was probably the only time that he let things go and his mind had a moment to not process anything work or trivia related. She let that though carry her into slumber.

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James Shannon's attorney showed up the morning of his transfer. Tony Watson was a damn good attorney and a friend of a friend. James had requested to speak to him before leaving.

"Tony, how's everything going?"

"Your family is safe and secure. No sign of the Rojas family or anyone else coming after them. "

"No inquires have been made about their location?" James asked.

"Who else would be inquiring? We have eyes and ears on the Rojas," Tony asked, curiously. His gut was telling him there was more going on then they were aware of.

"I don't know who all the Rojas are connected with or what kind of stunt they could pull to harm my family. Thank you, Tony. I know that you're doing all that you can. I'll see you in Phoenix," James said, as Tony got up to leave.

"Stay safe and be careful."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan had been working at having many conversations with old friends and people that owed him favors all last night and again this morning. Mary and Marshall were the focus of the groups attack and Marshall may have had a point about going after the son because of the only male. He had briefly thought about separating the two; but knew better than trying that. If at any point they figured out Marshall wasn't the son they would go after Mary. She could actually be traced back as his daughter. He needed a farther reaching hand then he had. Eleanor was already called and using favors to help Stan locate the Griffins. Making a judgment call that would probably get Marshall mad at him later, Stan decided to use another source that had connections. Some the same as him, but others were different. The more trusted sources they had the better off for all. Grabbing a disposable phone headed up to the rooftop of the Sunshine Building. At this point he was assuming the office and regular phones were tapped just as a precaution.

"Mann residence."

"Seth, it's Stan. I need a favor," he said, to make sure Seth didn't think anything happened to Marshall.

"What do you need?"

Stan went through the whole story of what was going on and who he was trying to find.

"Marshall and Mary are safe?"

"I'm the only one who knows where they are."

"Alright, let me check with some people I know and then I'll have his brother's tap into their sources. I'll make sure only trusted people are used. I'll call you back as soon as I hear anything. Let me know if you need help."

"Call me back on this number only. I don't know what is secure in this building."

"Keep Marshall safe for me Stan."

"I'll do my best," Stan replied, before hanging up.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  
>Mary woke to streams of light coming into the bedroom. Looking at Marshall she noticed he had turned on his side somewhere in the middle of the night. It was unusual for Marshall to sleep longer than her. She put her hand against his forehead to make sure he wasn't feverish. She worried one of the wounds may get infected. Finding no sign of fever she couldn't help, but do a check over his bear chest and arms. The closest she ever came to seeing him this way was when he was down to the tank top in the abandoned gas station. She realized for the first time he was better muscled than she'd ever realized. She felt her heart race begin to pick up as she imagined what it would feel like to run her hands over his chest.<p>

The last thought had her sitting up quickly and grabbing clothes before rushing into the shower. She didn't know what the hell was wrong with her. They were in a dangerous situation and all she could think of was jumping Marshall. It had to be the intensity of the situation. That had to be it. She'd never had these kinds of thoughts before about her best friend and partner before and it was making her edgy. Turning the shower on she decided colder might be better.

Marshall woke to the sound of the shower running and was embarrassed when he realized he fell asleep before putting his shirt on. Slipping the t-shirt over his head he got up to find his away bag. Grabbing a set of clothes out he waited for Mary to finish. He hadn't even thanked her for dressing his cuts last night.

Mary walked out towel drying her hair when she noticed Marshall sitting on the edge of the bed. Trying to ignore her earlier reaction to him she tried to return to their normal banter. The cold shower hadn't seemed to help much. Images of her and Marshall in the shower had crossed her mind. She decided her body was telling her she had urges that needed to be taken care of as soon as this case was over.

"Good Morning, Doofus. How's your back?"

"It's fine. Thanks for patching me up last night."

"Not a problem. Let me get the bandages off before you shower. I'll make us some coffee while you're in the shower and then you can make breakfast before we start digging around in James's past," Mary said. A part of her felt the need to disown the man who set them up to be pursued by his enemies just so he could protect his other family.

Mary tried to fight back the tears as she felt her heart break a little more with that thought. The man she had adored her entire life had just committed the ultimate betrayal to her. It was something she had never been able to fathom him doing. It wasn't the man she had spent years waiting by a window to show up. How much of her life was spent adoring a man who committed crimes, created a new life with a family that he had stayed and now protected, the only man she'd let into her heart until eight years ago and the man she had longed to see again. Every childhood reunion imagined with her father shattered and destroyed because he chose to let them die if it meant protecting his other family.

Marshall saw the look that had come over Mary's face and new the dark place she was heading to. The breakdown would come and he was well aware of that. It would happen in small pieces until the tidal wave of emotions overwhelmed her. He expected that to be sometime after the hearing and the conversation that would take place between father and daughter. It was years overdue; but Marshall knew that James protecting the Griffins while putting them in harms way would eat Mary up until she had answers. Moving over to her he pulled her to him and heard her sniffle.

"Let it out, Mare. You need the release. I promise not to say a word to anyone," Marshall whispered, knowing Mary refused to allow most people to see her hurt. It was the one thing he cherished about their relationship. She trusted him enough to catch her when she fell and to allow her to release her feelings if only for awhile without judgment.

Mary let Marshall pull her near and hold her, but still couldn't stop her natural instinct to not allow herself to cry. The harder she fought the more she wanted to and finally the inevitable sob escaped and she held onto Marshall. She was mortified at her inability to control her emotions in one sense; yet another part knew that if there was ever one person she could do it in front of that wouldn't think less of her it was her partner. Finally giving up the battle to stop the tears she bunched her hand in Marshall's shirt and held on until her tears began to subside. Embarrassed at the display of the emotions despite knowing Marshall wouldn't mind she swiped a hand frustrated at the tears.

"Sorry," she whispered.

Marshall kissed her forehead. "Never apologize for your emotions, Mare. Ready to play nurse and make me some coffee, so I can feed you?" Marshall asked, knowing Mary needed to be back onto normal ground.

Mary smiled knowing what Marshall was doing.

"Raise your shirt," Mary instructed, the deeper cuts were at the lower part of his back. "Let me know when you're out of the shower."

Marshall watched Mary walk out of the bedroom before heading into the shower. He wondered briefly just how much of Mary's heart would be broken by James Shannon when this was all over. A part of him despised the man and the other part of him thanked him everyday for the gift he helped create.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

James Shannon was in Federal custody in Phoenix again. Tony walked in and sat across from James.

"Tony, my family?" James asked.

"No attempts have been made to go after them. We've got them secured," Tony replied, confused.

"I would like to talk to U.S Marshal Mary Shannon and Marshall Mann."

"Why do you want to talk to the Marshal Service?"

"I want to try and arrange at least protection for them when this is over. I need to know that while I'm in prison my wife and children will still be safe." James knew that he had to make it sound sincere; if he were to have a chance at this. If he could bring Mary and Marshall here, Rojas men could follow them. He could have the security detail move his family somewhere far away from Rojas men's grasp.

"You don't need to talk to the Marshal Service for that. I will talk to someone in the DOJ about setting up Witness Protection for your family. There is no need to bring the two marshals here. How do you know them?" Tony's gut was telling him there was more going on then meets the eye. He didn't like this one bit.

"I ran across them at the prison in Albuquerque and heard they were good at what they do. I was hoping to see if they knew would hear me out and see about putting in a good word with the FBI or DOJ. I just want to try and do everything to protect my family."

"I'll see what I can do, but you don't have a lot of standing ground within the system. They might help your family, but you have nothing left to bargain with. Rojas already knows you're testifying so if you threaten not to; Rojas will hunt you down and kill you. It might take me awhile to get the F.B.I. to work with me on this. I'll let you know as soon as I can. Stay out of trouble and don't do anything stupid. It's your best bet for staying safe." Tony felt he needed to warn James about that.

Tony wanted to know more about the two marshals James had mentioned. He was going to do some digging before going to the FBI. The sooner he figured out what mess James was trying to balance or game he was playing the better off for his firm. The wife and kids were innocent and it's why they took the job but something was beginning to stink with James. He would need to talk to his boss.

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Marshall and Mary had finished breakfast and were setting up the laptop and information. They grabbed the burn phone and dialed Stan.

"McQueen."

"Miss us yet?" Mary teased, since Marshall had them on speaker phone.

"Mary, where's Marshall?"

"I'm right here, Stan. Sunshine just has to always have the first and last word." Marshall's tease was rewarded with a punch to the arm.

"What do you have Stan?" Mary asked.

Stan took a deep breath waiting to find out how Marshall was going to respond to his Dad's involvement. He listed all of his contacts and waited a few seconds for it to sink in.

Mary saw Marshall stiffen at the name of his Dad and the mention of his brothers' involvement.

"Was that really necessary Stan?" Marshall asked.

"Yes, I need as many eyes out for these people as possible. We're all tapping our connections to try and figure out where they have hidden the Griffins and who is hiding them" Stan replied.

"I was thinking about that last night. We know that he's not involved in any undercover or agreement with anyone in the federal government. That leads us to outside groups he could've come across while helping the Rojas. What about mercenary groups or militia type groups? They'd have the means to be able to help hide the Griffins. The other option is he put himself in the middle of two cartels? Who ever is hiding them is not doing anything legal or if they're running a legitimate business they're using it as a front. Import and export business or anything that moves products overseas would be a start," Marshall replied.

"I'm thinking it has to be something illegal. I don't think James knew how to do anything legit," Mary added.

"Stan, I can start running a list. Somewhere along the way they would've had to run into Columbia to cross paths with the Rojas. I'll run a list of any of the companies that might be a possibility if you can run a list of account member names from the various jobs that James had pulled off. With any luck we can come across some names that cross reference with the two lists," Marshall said.

"Sounds like a plan. You to take care of yourselves and Mary make sure he's taking care of his cuts," Stan replied, before hanging up.

"How do you like that I get to play nurse and keep you in line for a change," Mary said, teasingly. "Are you okay with your Dad and brothers getting involved?"

"No, but I know that we need eyes and ears everywhere. Stan wouldn't have done it if he thought it wasn't necessary," Marshall replied, shrugging and then starting to work on pulling up a list of companies and security consultant firms that would fit their criteria.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

James paced his cell anxiously. He didn't like Watson telling him that he couldn't set the bait in order to keep his associates services. It left him with no choice, but to wait until the court date. The only other chance he had to put his plan into action would be to talk to the FBI some more and tell them he wanted to speak with Mary. The thought of leaving his wife and children without security didn't appeal to him. There had to be away around this. They wanted more of the Rojas, but weren't willing to put the inspectors lives in danger.

He stopped pacing and began to think about what he wanted to do. This wasn't him was it? When did he become such a cold hearted bastard to his first two children and the man that protected his kids when they needed it? Granted Marshall helped because he had feelings for his eldest daughter; but still. Did he resent the day Mary whispered into the bug that she didn't need him anymore. Those words hurt more than he cared to admit. The problem was he was torn between two families; one that survived through hardships beyond most people's comprehension and the one that had always led a normal life. He protected his other children from the life he lived and the line he walked. They had always led a normal life. They couldn't survive on their own against a drug cartel. Mary could and that is why he did this. He kept hoping if he said it enough times that he might actually believe it.

James knew he had to wait for the trial and hoped it came before the Marshal Service found his family. If they found out who he really was; he'd lose them too. Would they be able to look him in the eye again? Would they still love him after this? He was in for some brutal conversations as it was with his first family, but to have to do that with both of them would destroy him. Now, if he could lose the nagging feeling that kept telling him he deserved it for breaking Mary's heart and abandoning Brandi before she ever had a chance to know him.


	3. Chapter 3

Stan was busy digging through paperwork when his phone rang.

"McQueen."

"Stan, it's Seth. I've got a theory to run by you."

"Alright, at this point anything is a possibility," Stan replied.

"Have you run the financials for James or any or all his aliases?"

"Yes, under both James Wiley Shannon and James Griffin. You think he may have had other names?"

"He robbed banks and worked with the Columbian Cartel to keep his family safe. He couldn't use his real name and what happened to all the funds he stole? What if he has the money to hire someone to protect them? There are security groups that will do it. He can have them make up some kind of story. I'm assuming he knows what Mary does. Couldn't he have told his family they were going into hiding for their own safety for something he witnessed? It would keep them from finding out who and what he's done while he set his other family and my son up to be targets," Seth said, unable to hide the disdain for using his son to bait a cartel.

"That would actually make sense. We would need the FBI to find out his aliases and then retrace James's steps to figure out who he's using to protect them. If they're a legit company they would turn the Griffins over to us and fill us in on what they know. I'll run with it and see what I can find out. We have less than two weeks to try and piece all of this together. I still think they'll make a hit at the courthouse. There isn't going to be a way to keep Mary or her family away from there."

"Marshall will go too. He won't let his partner go by herself. I'm catching a flight out to Albuquerque. Two heads are better than one. I want to be at the courthouse if anything happens."

"Why do I have the feeling there will be two more Manns joining us in Phoenix?" Stan asked, knowing this was going to get ugly if anything happened to Marshall.

"They might have requested some time off to volunteer their services. We aren't going to sit back and let Marshall be used at bait by James Shannon. I may like Mary but her father I have a very bad distaste for," Seth replied, before hanging up.

Stan rubbed his hand over his bald spot. Adding Marshall's family to the mix was going to raise the emotional level of both his inspectors. Stan was grateful for the help but knew full well this wasn't going to go over well at all. He decided to run the financials before calling Mary and Marshall to deliver the whole story. Stan really understood Seth's feelings towards James. What kind of father sets up his own children and an innocent man to take a hit to protect his other family? Mary and Marshall were as close to having children as Stan had come and the mere thought of sending them into the field turns his stomach. He's never happy until they're safe and sound at the office or home. He could never imagine betraying them like James had, even if he ended up in another office with partners that became like children to him. It would shatter his heart.

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Marshall and Mary were still running through the list of possibilities when the cell rang.

"Shannon," Mary said, putting the phone on speaker so Marshall could hear.

"We have come up with another theory on who might be hiding the Griffins. Seth called and suggested that with the money from the bank robberies, James could afford to hire a firm to protect them and pretend they're in WITSEC. James knows what Mary does somehow and it would be the perfect ruse to keep them out of the way until the trial is over and his sentence is up," Stan replied.

"I take it you ran financials and found out he could afford to do so," Marshall said.

"James did very well as a bank robber and helping the cartel out. I'm assuming part of the money came from the cartel," Stan replied.

"Did the money trail lead you to the people hiding them?" Mary asked.

"That is still being traced. A large sum of money was taken out so we assumed he paid someone to protect them. The problem now is retracing his steps. Marshall, I'm sending an encrypted file of the photos that you and Mary looked at while at the FBI. I need an idea as to where and when they were taken. We're going to have to start the tracking from them and work backwards. James isn't going to help us with any of this. Send me a detailed report on the information," Stan replied.

"Stan, that will take you and Delia a long time to go through by yourselves. We can come back and help or at least I can," Marshall said.

"Neither one of you is coming back and I already have enough help," Stan said.

"Who's helping and what are you trying not to tell us?" Mary asked.

"Just some friends are helping. I'm not leaving you out on any of the details," Stan replied calmly.

"When does my Dad arrive?" Marshall asked.

"He's already on his way."

"I'm assuming he's bringing company in the form of my two brothers," Marshall said.

"They want to help, Marshall. I wasn't going to refuse it for the obvious reasons. Eleanor is doing what she can from her end. James is being tight lipped and not even asking for his lawyer after their last meeting. The feeling around the prison is that something was said because the lawyer and James both looked unhappy afterwards," Stan said.

"Could he know that we're looking for his other family?" Mary asked.

"It's a possibility. The two of you are to stay at the cabin and not come out unless I give you the okay to. If anything looks suspicious I want a phone call immediately. I have marshals ready to go if you need help. These are people that I trust and are nearby, but don't know your exact location."

"What are you thinking, Stan? Don't tell us nothing either, because you wouldn't be making backup plans if you weren't thinking something could go wrong," Marshall said.

"A person trapped in a corner will come out swinging. In the primate world a male animal will protect his own," Stan replied.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Stop spending time with Marshall. You think James will use us if he finds out that you're close to his family."

"I haven't figured out how, yet though," Stan replied.

"The simplest way is how. All he would have to do is refuse to testify unless he talks to Mary or I. That exposes us to the Rojas again," Marshall said, before briefly stopping and then pacing.

"What are you thinking Doofus?" Mary knew something was swirling in her partner's mind.

"Stan, you might not have to follow the money. Find out what you can about Tom Watson. Is he really an attorney and if so who does he usually work for," Marshall said.

"Maybe James already made the suggestion and the attorney knows the people that are protecting the family wouldn't interfere with the feds. It would put them out of business. They might give us the runaround for a while, but they can't do it forever. I'll have Delia go through Watson's background and I'll send a team to keep tabs on him. Good thinking, Marshall. Now you two lay low. You can work, but again no leaving the cabin. If you are forced to, then I want to know where exactly you're going on for how long you intend to be gone. Do I make myself clear?" Stan replied, understanding what Marshall was getting at.

"Yes, Dad. We promise to behave and not go out and play with the cartel," Mary replied sarcastically, before hanging up and looking at Marshall. "You okay?"

Marshall nodded while rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. Mary knew it was his sign of stress. She hated that his family was now getting dragged into the middle of her family dramas.

"Marshall, look at me. I know that you don't want your family stuck in the middle of this and I know that sorry doesn't even cut it. My father is to blame for all of this and I know that. If I could get you out of this I would, but I know trying to push you away or sneaking off would only lead you to following me. We've been partners too long to not know that about each other. Your Dad and brothers are doing what family does. Real families protect each other no matter what the cost. It's what Stan's doing for us and what James is doing for the Griffins. It's not fair or right, but if we lay low and avoid trouble then maybe we can keep your family safe too," Mary said, knowing they both needed reassurances right now.

"You know that I don't blame you and that James is a fool for walking out on you. I just don't want or need to feel like I'm going to get three different versions of the fail report card. I get why my family is coming and I'd do the same for them. I'd do it for you, your family, Stan and Eleanor. I don't want them getting hurt because of me" Marshall replied.

"Technically, it wouldn't be because of you. It would be because of me. Maybe I should go and visit James. Get them to come after me and leave you alone. It might be best for everyone involved. This is my problem and not yours."

"Mare, you just said it yourself. If you leave then I follow. You can't do everything alone no matter how hard you try. I'm here for you. We're both just tensed and worried. Things will work out the way they were meant to. You're not leaving. I won't let you set yourself up for a target. I'd do it first. Let's just take a few minutes to calm down and come up with plans. When Stan gets the photos here we'll put a timeline together for him and see what we come up with. I'm not sure it will lead to James, but it could lead us to who he hired to follow us. With that we could find out where James was staying or where they met. It could give us a clue to what car he used and license plates to trace. We'll find what we're looking for, but we both need to try and keep our emotions out of this."

Mary looked at Marshall and knew he was serious about following her. She'd do the same thing. They both needed to relax and the first thought that popped in her mind was the whirlpool tub outside. It would help relax both of them while Stan got the file ready for both of them.

"Get your trunks," Mary ordered.

Marshall looked confused before replying.

"Huh?"

"Get your trunks. We both need to relax and there is a whirlpool tub outside that usually works wonders for tension. I'll meet you out there," Mary said, heading towards the bedroom to change.

Mary came out to see Marshall on the laptop doing something. She put her hands on her hips and looked at him trying to figure out what had him not moving.

"Hey, go change," Mary said.

"Mary, we need to focus on the case," Marshall replied.

"The information from Stan won't be here right away and once we get it we're going to be busy trying to put the information together. Go change," Mary said.

"I can keep working on the case while you go and relax. I'll be fine. Go enjoy the hot tub," Marshall replied, again.

"No, you're coming with me. Think of it as cleaning out the wounds while releasing the tension. Don't make me come over there and force you into the room to change. I want you to join me. We can talk about the case while relaxing, but you're coming with me."

Marshall looked up and could see the determined look on Mary's face. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he wasn't sure his thought would stop from straying to impure thoughts of Mary and it would show. He didn't want to embarrass himself anymore than he had in the past. She wasn't interested and he was scared he couldn't hide that he was.

'Marshall, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. Go change. It will be good for you," Mary said, walking over and pulling Marshall up and yanking him towards the bedroom.

"I get it already. I'll meet you in the hot tub," Marshall replied, still reluctant.

"Marshall, wait a second," Mary said. "Lift your shirt. I'll get the bandages off."

Marshall did what she requested and then headed into the bedroom. Mary went outside and took off her cover up before starting the whirlpool and hopping in. She was giving her partner ten minutes before she'd go in and get him. With two minutes left to spare Marshall emerged wearing Corona swim trunks. Mary had to smirk. His obsession with bottom apparel with some kind of design on them amused her.

"Hop in the temp is great."

Marshall was grateful that Mary was already submerged. He didn't want to imagine what she had on or how it looked on her. He slowly got into the tub and sat on the opposite side of Mary.

Mary was enjoying watching Marshall climb into the tub way more than she should. It was the most of him she'd ever seen uncover and from her body's reaction she knew full well she was enjoying the view. He was more muscular than you would ever think. His arms had nice muscles when they weren't covered and his chest was even better in the sunlight. She forced herself to look up at Marshall's face for any type of pain. She didn't want any problems with the deeper cuts.

Marshall knew Mary was looking for any signs of pain. Rolling his eyes he looked her in the face.

"Relax Mare, the cuts aren't that deep and we're using the ointment on it. I'm fine."

"I promised Stan to make sure that you were okay. Besides you'd be doing the same to me and you know it," Mary replied, sticking her tongue out at him. "Just relax Marshall. We're going to need our energy for the rest of this adventure my father put us on."

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not your fault? You're not to blame for every action a member of your family does. The only person's actions that you're responsible for is your own. Sooner or later you're going to have to let them be their own person and deal with the consequences of their choices. It doesn't mean you can't support them, but you have to learn to separate their lives from yours. Your Dad, Jinx, and Brandi are adults. Adults make decisions and that doesn't mean that because they're related that it makes it your fault. You are you Mary. Stop taking blame for your families faults."

"That's pretty easy to say when you come from a family of normal people, Marshall. You're family hasn't put anyone in my family in danger. I can't say the same. You were hurt the other day because of that. You have a price tag on your head because my father is a criminal and set you up. How does that not make it my fault?"

"Mare, did you tell your Dad to set us up? No, you didn't. Those are his actions and responsibilities of his own making. He's going to have to look each of us in the eyes and explain why he did it. I will be by your side when you go to talk to him even if you don't want me there. He brought me into this and that alone gives me the right to be there," Marshall replied, he wanted Mary to realize no matter what argument she tried that he wouldn't turn tail and run from her. She had enough of that in her life. The only fear he had was something happening to Mary, his Dad or brothers. He was hoping they could end this before it blew up in their faces. The problem was he didn't see how that could happen.

"Let's just concentrate on the facts, Mare. The Rojas from what I have been able to tell are damn well connected. They'll stop at nothing before the trial to keep James from testifying against them and if that doesn't work they'll go after him in the courtroom. We all know that scenario can turn ugly quickly. I was thinking that if it comes to that then Jinx and Brandi could be brought into the courtroom, but shifted somewhere else during the trial to keep them out of harms way. It would look odd if they weren't there. If the Griffins are found we can put them all in the same place. I don't guarantee it will be fun for the Marshal detail watching your family and the Griffins, but it would be the safest option. It would also confuse the Rojas as to who James's family really is. Their direction would then focus on your father who will in the end become the bait. We should be able to have enough people to protect him. I was thinking of asking Stan if we can set it up so that we have a fake jury; if the judge will go for it, so that we can have more of our people there when the cartel makes its final move."

"That's something we haven't done before. It would actually be a good way to pull off a bust without to many civilians being hurt. The court reporter and bailiff could all be one of ours. The D.A. would need to be informed along with the judge. We can run it by Stan when we get a chance. I would recommend a video recorder for Jinx and the Griffins. It could be highly entertaining to watch later. Jinx isn't afraid of a little catfight," Mary said, slightly amused at the thought. "I know that Jinx, Brandi and I all want a word with James although somehow I don't Jinx will be going down the same line as mine. Marshal, I need to face my father alone. I'm the one he walked out on. I appreciate that you want to be there, but I don't think you should."

"Mare, as much as I know that you want to face him alone, you know he has a pull over you. He has since he walked out. I need to speak with the man myself. Dragging my family into this, setting up my partner and her family to get killed and putting a target on my back gives me a right to have a word with the man. If anything happens to any of you, I'm going to need to have someone stop me from doing something I shouldn't. The same applies to you. I know full well how you'll respond if Brandi or Jinx get hurt. I'll cover your back and you can cover mine. I'm not going to give up on this and you know full well I'll stand my ground on this. As far as I'm concerned this isn't up for debate. I won't interfere with anything that you have to say to the man. You have every right to express yourself to him."

Mary saw the tightening of his jaw and knew that she wouldn't win this argument. Marshall would give her a lot of leeway on many things; but if he had his mind set on something and determined it was the best for all involved he wouldn't let go and he wouldn't bend where she was concerned. It was both admirable and annoying as all sin to her.

"Fine, but just for reference I don't need a babysitter and I would be just as pissed if something happens to you because of James," Mary replied, finding it difficult to call James her father after he set them up. The betrayal was running deep and opening wounds inside her that if they didn't have so much to focus on she knew she'd end up breaking. At least she knew that there was someone in her life that would actually catch her when she fell and help put the pieces back together again. She wouldn't admit that she needed Marshall in all of this; but it also went without saying.

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Stan had been working with Delia to get the photos scanned and sent to Mary and Marshall. They both knew it would take awhile but Stan was edgy with both Mary and Marshall having a target on their back. He didn't trust James. Hell, he didn't trust any man who could use his child as bait. The fact that he used Marshall didn't sit well with him either. Stan knew that Mary and Marshall were his favorites and his own children in his heart. Having a cartel after them scared him more than anything else had in the past. He knew the Rojas were noted for their ruthlessness and would torture anyone they caught to get what they wanted. It was why they wanted both of James families where they could concentrate on them. He was sure the security people James hired would be good, but Stan always felt better when he had his people watching.

"Delia, get those photos over to Mary and Marshall," Stan ordered as heard the sound of the elevator arriving and looked up in time to see Seth and Marshall's brothers arrive.

"Seth," Stan greeted. He had expected him, but thought Marshall's brothers wouldn't arrive until the trial.

"Stan, these are my two eldest sons, Grady and Kyle."

Stan reached out a hand to shake the two men's hands.

"It's nice to meet you. Wish it were under better circumstances," Stan said.

"What do we have so far?" Grady asked.

"A whole lot of questions and answers few and far between. We just sent Mary and Marshall the photos that James had in hopes of retracing his steps or whoever he had following him. We're also running information on his attorney to see if he may be associated with the people protecting the Griffins," Stan replied.

"Where do you want us to start?" Kyle asked.

"Why don't you and Grady work on tracking the attorney. Delia can show you what we have and set you up on some computers. Seth, I was thinking we could work on finding out more about the Griffins. We might be able to find something that would cause one or more of them to try and break free of their protection detail or compromise their location."

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Mary and Marshall had spent an hour in the hot tub going over possible scenarios. Deciding that Stan would probably have the file ready they both got out diverting their glances from each other. Mary had just finished wrapping her towel around her when she turned as Marshall was drying off his chest. She had to swallow hard and get her mind to function. Between the muscular chest that was hidden under all the layers he normally wore and the water drops sliding down while his hand glided the towel over it; Mary almost forgot to breath. She shook her head trying to rid it of the image that had sent a wave of desire through her body.

Mary seriously was beginning to wonder what was wrong with her. Since her pregnancy and Marshall's odd fetish with pregnant woman she'd been having a hard time not noticing her partner. She'd caught him working in his garden once and wanted to ravage him. At first she was able to blame it on the hormones; but that feeling intensified instead of going away like she had expected. She hated Abby with a passion not just because of the perky attitude because of what she knew that she and Marshall were doing in their house. When Marshall was looking for the house to share with Abby Mary felt her heart break a little more. She was loosing Marshall and had no one to blame but herself. It was why she went to dinner and flirted with Provo. He was a good guy; but still not the right one. Mary was beginning to put the pieces together as to who was the right one; but still found herself fighting it. With only a day in their two weeks together she had a bad feeling she wouldn't be able to fight her interest in Marshall and truths would be revealed. She wondered briefly what Marshall would have thought had he known she had several glasses of champagne to celebrate Abby and Marshall's break up. It was disrespectful but luckily Marshall hadn't been around. She had tried to be supportive, but wasn't sure it came across sincerely. Mary felt like she needed to put a stamp on Marshall that stated property of Mary Shannon. She didn't like sharing what was hers and that included her partner and best friend.

"Mare?" Marshall asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "You in there or did the sun soak up your brains?"

The hand in front of her face caused her to jump and when she looked up Marshall was right in front of her.

"Sorry, lost in thought," Mary mumbled, embarrassed.

"About?'

"Nothing that can't be dealt with later. Let's go see what Stan has sent our way."

Marshall knew Mary was not telling him something, but decided to let it go at least for now. She had enough to deal with already.

"Let's go work some magic," Marshall replied, but not before snapping his towel at Mary and dashing inside the cabin.

Mary stood stunned that Marshall had actually done that and before she could begin to pursue he was already in the cabin. She cursed his long legs and running abilities. She'd get him back later. With what she wasn't sure, but she'd definitely make him pay for that. With that thought a smirk lit up her face and she calmly walked into the cabin.

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Grady and Kyle had run into several road blocks trying to track Tom Watson, but finally hit pay dirt. They had the connection they needed to start asking questions about the Griffins. Grabbing up their findings, they headed out to talk with Stan and their Dad. They had a week left before the trial and were finally a step closer to finding the Griffins.

"We think we know who is protecting the Griffins," Kyle said, entering the conference room.

Stan and Seth both looked up. Mary and Marshall had been checking in daily and had sent them the timeline and locations of the photos. They had used some of the photos to get security tapes from the stores near where the photos were taken to see if they could find the photographer. They were waiting for the name of the person to come back from Eleanor. Watching the videos for days had finally paid off and they had sent the photographers picture to Mary and Marshall to see if they recognized the man.

"What do you have?" Stan asked.

"Tom Watson received his law degree from Harvard before joining the Army JAG Corps. He later requested a transfer into the Army Rangers where he served until being honorably discharged. After being discharged he began to practice law again before joining Ranger Security Services. He is listed as legal counsel for the corporation. The security firm is made up of mostly former military personal and some former federal agents. We ran a background check on the company and it does appear that they are a legit firm. My guess would be that James contacted them and gave them some false story, which I'm sure he knows people that could make his story look legit. They're more than likely the ones hiding the Griffins. We need to go have a talk with the owner of the company. His name is Jackson Maloney" Grady replied.

"Let's go. When we get back we can contact Mary and Marshall with the updated information that we have and see if they were able to recall seeing the man taking photos of them. We're running out of time to find the Griffins. We have three days before we're heading out to Phoenix," Stan said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Tom Watson was in Jackson's office giving him an update on several of their clients when they were interrupted by the door opening.

"Sir, there are four men from the U.S. Marshal Service waiting outside to talk to you," his secretary said.

"Send them in," Jackson said, looking towards Tom who shrugged. They had all been starting to have concerns about James Griffin and who he really was. The fact that the people James had wanted to talk to just showed up raised their curiosity.

"I'm still waiting for the information on Marshal Shannon and Mann" Tom said, before the marshals entered.

Jackson nodded in understanding. They watched as four marshals entered the room.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Ranger Security Services. I'm Jackson Maloney and this is my associate Tom Watson. What can we help you with today?" Jackson asked.

"I'm Chief Inspector Stan McQueen and these are inspectors Seth, Grady and Kyle Mann. We need to ask you several questions in regard to your client James Griffin a.k.a. James Shannon."

Tom made sure not to twitch at the names. He was fully aware that they matched the people that James had asked to meet.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see your badges before we answer any questions," Jackson replied, while looking over the badges as they were presented. "What would you like to ask?"

"What did James hire you to do?" Seth asked.

"We were hired to protect his family," Jackson answered, not giving any more information than necessary.

"Which one and does this protection service also include setting up his other family and my brother to be used as decoys while you're protecting the Griffins?" Kyle asked.

Tom and Jackson both exchanged looks that Stan recognized as one that signaled neither man knew about the decoy set up.

"What are you talking about?" Jackson demanded. He didn't like where this was heading. "I run a legitimate business. We don't set people up to get hurt. We try and prevent people from getting hurt."

"Gentlemen, you might want to have a seat while we tell you the story of James Wiley Shannon or as you know him as James Griffin."

Jackson and Tom did as requested and listened to all the information that the marshals were able to share with him. He knew that there were details missing from the story, but they had their rules to follow also. James had played devil's advocate on this.

"What do you need us to do to help you?" Jackson asked, after filling them in on what he knew.

"We would like to speak with the Griffins. We're hoping to run our own little trap. I would need the Griffins to be brought into the room and then they will be moved to a secure location. It is our belief that Rojas doesn't know about the two families. We want to throw them off, but not endanger either of the families," Stan replied.

"You plan on confusing Rojas with the two families so he goes after James at the courthouse. You want him basically walking into a set trap of law enforcement," Jackson replied, knowing full well these men wouldn't confirm the theory. "James is the bait."

"We have a course of action planned and need the Griffins to partake in it. If you want to wait in the area we set aside to protect them; you'll be more than welcome to do so. That would keep your end of the contract in tact. The location will not be revealed until the last second," Stan replied.

"There is something else that concerns you. We'll fulfill our contract by keeping the Griffins safe and we can arrange a meeting for you with them. I realize you are unable to inform me of the details. My team will understand their orders will come last second and to prepare for anything," Jackson said.

"Thank you for your cooperation. How soon can you set up the meet with the Griffins?" Seth asked.

"Give me an hour and I'll send you the details. Do you have a number I can call?" Jackson said.

"Use this number," Stan replied, passing him a phone number. "It's a disposable phone that guarantees no tracing. I would highly recommend that you use one as well."

"Understood. I'll call within the hour."

Jackson and Tom watched the marshals leave the building.

"What exactly did we get ourselves in the middle of?" Tom asked.

"A whole lot of trouble. What I want to know is how it didn't show up on the background check we ran on James Griffin. I have a feeling that man has more connections than just Rojas. I want to know more about the marshals involved also. See if we can access our connections to do so. I don't want to be walking into this blind. Well slightly blind in this case."

"What the hell would make James set up one family in order to save the other? I guess we now know why he wanted to see Mary and Marshall."

"He was trying to lead Rojas to them to buy time for us to keep the marshals from the Griffins. I don't like being used or lied to. I want all the information we can dig up by calling in any and all favors owed to us. Somehow I have the feeling things are going to get a lot messier."

Tom nodded in agreement and went to assemble their team and make arrangements for the Griffins.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The Manns and Stan were driving back to the Sunshine building thinking over all that they had heard.

"What kind of man sets up his own daughter to be hunted down by a cartel member?" Kyle asked, breaking the silence in the car.

"A desperate one" Seth replied.

"Why?" Kyle asked.

"Mary had been taking care of her family since she was little. James knows that she is a Marshal. If I had to take a guess I would think he was figuring she had a better chance of survival than the Griffins," Stan said, disgusted by James's actions and wondering just how much more damage that man could inflict on his daughter.

"Why drag Marshall into it?" Grady asked.

"The two are a package deal. James more than likely figured that out while following and having Mary and Marshall followed. I still want to know who was following them. It might help give us more background. I can't help but think there is still more to this picture than meets the eye," Stan said, knowing the person that had been following Mary and Marshall wasn't from Ranger Security Services.

"Are you going to tell Mary all of this?" Seth asked.

"Yes, Mary will know if I hold back on her. Marshall will be there to keep her balanced. She's going to need him to catch her when she falls. Marshall is the only one she'll let in when this is over, but she'll go down kicking and fighting before that happens. She protects her heart at all cost. James shattered it a long time ago and who knows how much more damage this will do. Your son, is the only one that will be able to get through to her."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary watched Marshall as he paced back and forth in front of her. His mind had to be running in overtime. They were trying to come up with who else James could've used to take the photos of them. Her father hadn't hired a private detective that they could trace. Eleanor had used all her resources to find that out. Now, they were looking into any further illegal connections he could have. There had to be someone if James had managed to not get caught by the F.B.I. or the cartel.

"Marshall, you need to realize that until we talk to Stan, that we could be racking our brains for nothing. It could have easily been the people he hired to protect his other family. Could you please sit down and relax?"

"No, I can't relax. We don't know who is after us, if it's anyone beside the cartel. I need to know all aspect of what we have to worry about in order to come up with a plan to protect us at the courthouse. The clock is ticking. We're running out of time and still know very little about what we're facing. Hell we still don't even know who the leak is."

"Look at me; you're working yourself into frenzy. I know that you want to have everything covered early and to keep perfecting it. You are our details expert and need to have everything covered. Could you just sit down until Stan calls and gives us the information they have found out today?"

Marshall turned and looked over at Mary. He hadn't meant to add to her stress level but without being in the field he was getting edgy. Mary had been burying her emotions all week while they spent day and night trying to put the pieces together. Moving over he sat next to her.

"We're still missing pieces to this puzzle. I'm worried what could happen at the courthouse if we don't figure it out. You haven't said much about all of this, Mare. You know that you can talk to me about it."

"I know Marshall. Honestly, I do know that I can talk to you about it. I just can't take the time to deal with the emotional side until after the hearing is done and I have my say to James. The man is in for a long ass lecture. I'm worried about keeping all of us safe too. I agree that there is an unknown in here. The fact that we haven't found the mole and that James didn't hire a private investigator aren't helping."

"He could've been using a lot more aliases. We only know the ones the F.B.I. gave us."

"The problem with that is he won't give them up easily or at all."

Marshall nodded, but before he could continue his cell phone rang.

"House of pie."

Stan smirked at the response.

"Marshall, how are the two of you?"

"Frustrated," Marshall replied honestly. He switched the phone to speaker so Mary could hear. "What did you find out?"

"The security firm didn't know about James's plan. They are going to arrange for us to meet with the Griffins," Stan said, before continuing on with what they had learned.

"Anything on your end, little brother?" Kyle asked.

"No, but do we have all the aliases that James has used in the past?"

"Yes," Seth replied. "What are you thinking, son?"

Marshall filled them in on what he and Mary were discussing before they called.

"Do we have any other ideas of who James could be associated with?"

"No, we're still digging and we might learn more after we talk to the Griffins. Who knows what they really know," Grady replied.

"I drew up every possible scenario for taking a shot at James or a family member entering the courthouse. I also listed possible places that they could hide in before the trial, but I can't do much more of a threat assessment without knowing all the players," Marshall advised.

Stan could tell by Marshall's comments that Marshall was getting antsy. Which meant Mary was probably worse.

"The two of you just hang in there a little longer. We'll call you back after we talk to the Griffins. You'll be moving to Phoenix a few days before the trial. We've set up a secure location where we will meet you at."

"What about the mole? Have you had any luck tracking the mole down?" Mary asked.

"We're still trying to figure that one out. We think the mole is coming out of the D.O.J. No one would be stupid enough to give information on the two of you from the Marshal Service," Stan replied. There were times that Mary and Marshall's reputations did help them out. While Mary was more noted for her brassiness; everyone else knew not to unleash the badass that hid under Marshall's calm exterior. Once seen it was rarely forgotten.

"Stan, we can't go into this blind. There are too many scenarios of how it could go wrong," Marshall said.

"Son, we know that. You just need to sit tight and relax a little. We're working on the information. You and Mary are tracking the rest. With all of us working the case, we'll find out what we need to do. Get some sleep. You sound exhausted," Seth said, he could tell his son was anxious and that was rare for Marshall. He could always keep himself preoccupied at least for a couple of weeks.

"That isn't going to help us solve anything," Marshall snapped.

Mary looked up in surprise. She didn't think that Marshall would talk back to his father with that kind of tone. She'd heard him frustrated, but he had managed to keep control of his voice even though his exasperation came through loud and clear.

"Marshall, listen to your Dad. You're tired and snippy which is a Mary trait. We don't need two of you right now," Stan said, knowing Mary wouldn't take offense. The only time Marshall got snappy was when he was pushing himself and his mind was going on overload. He needed to step away from this. "Step back, get some rest and you'll have a fresh view on what you're working on. Not sleeping isn't going to help anything. You two need to stay sharp. Go to bed. That goes for both of you."

"Yes, boss," Mary replied. "I'll make sure Doofus gets a good night's sleep."

Stan knew that meant Mary was worried about him too. Marshall could be every bit as tenacious as Mary if he set his mind on something.

"We'll talk to you both tomorrow and let you know if we have something new," Stan replied, before hanging up.

Mary looked up at Marshall. "Come on cowboy, time for bed."

"Mare, I don't need sleep. I need to figure this out."

"Marshall, you snapped at your father. Trust me when I say you need to get some sleep. You would never do that under normal circumstances. You've done everything you can with the information we have. We've done the threat assessments and you laid out all the locations for snipers and anyone else to hide or shoot at us. You're done for the night. Now let's go."

Marshall lay next to Mary on the bed, but couldn't get himself to unwind. He wasn't sure if it was just the uncertainty of the case or the fact that being in the same bed with Mary and not being able to touch her was making him more agitated. It was probably a combination of the two. No matter how many times he tried to get her out of his system he couldn't. It was slowly destroying his chances at ever finding anyone else. Abby was as close as he had come and that didn't work out either. It was his fault and he knew it, but it didn't help matters.

Marshall forced his mind to switch to the case. He had an idea of how to find the information he needed to complete their search. The Griffins would more than likely not know anything. The problem would be how to get out of the house without Mary knowing. He needed to leave the car with her so she could get away if necessary. Once he left though, he couldn't return. He would have to meet up with the rest of them in Phoenix. The man that held the key to the answers was James Shannon and somehow Marshall figured he was the only man who knew the answer.

Rojas would be keeping an eye on the prison comings and goings so he would need to figure out a way to get out without getting seen and get a car with the cash he had withdrawn before this all started. Stan, his father, brothers and Mary were going to be pissed at him, but sometimes you just had to run the risk in order to get the answers you needed. He was certainly going to earn the failure report from his father over this idea. He had thought about including Mary, but she was struggling with her emotions while hiding it well. Seeing her father again and again would only put her on an even more extreme roller coaster ride. That emotional distraction could be enough to get her killed.

Making up his mind, Marshall waited until Mary's breath evened out. Slipping out of bed, Marshall grabbed his gear and called the number Stan had given him. If he could get Stan's friend Evan to pick him up and drop him off somewhere so that he could pick up a car then he would be set.

Marshall wrote a note for Mary put it in the envelope and set it in front of the coffee maker. She'd see it when she got up. He called Stan's friend and arranged the ride. Slipping out the front door quietly he waited for his ride to show. The pickup truck stopped at the end of the driveway like Marshall had asked. Taking one last look at the cabin Marshall climbed in and headed into Sedona to get a car.


	4. Chapter 4

Mary woke up as the sunlight filled the room. Turning over she hoped to see Marshall sleeping still. He was working too hard on this and it was beginning to worry her. She knew that he was trying to be the protector to her family and his own. It was how he was and a very redeeming quality except when it gave him tunnel vision. She knew that his fear of missing even the smallest detail and allowing something to happen was preventing him from getting a decent nights sleep.

Turning on her side she was surprised to see that Marshall was already up. Silently she cursed him for not letting it all go until they heard back from Stan. Grabbing her clothes she quickly showered and headed out to the kitchen. The lack of sound in the cabin was beginning to unnerve her. Thinking Marshall probably stepped out to clear his mind she walked to the coffee pot. The envelope in front of it with Marshall's neat handwriting on it made her blood run cold. Ripping it open she began to read:

_Mare,_

_I'd tell you not to be mad at me, but I know that would be asking the impossible. I went to talk to your father, since he's the one with the answers. We both know that he'll talk to me if it means getting a chance to have Rojas find me. I won't be coming back to the cabin, because I won't risk your safety. I know how to hide and stay hidden. We both know this. Don't try to find me. I'll find you in Phoenix. I have Stan's disposable number and yours. I'll pick up one for myself and call you. _

_Mare, please don't come after me. It won't make things better. It complicates the case and the safety of all involved. Just keep working the case with Stan, my Dad and brothers. I'll be in touch with the information that I find. See you soon Sunshine!_

_Marshall_

"Damn it, Marshall!" Mary shouted in the empty cabin. Quickly, she grabbed the cell phone Stan left them and dialed the number while grabbing the keys to the SUV that lay on the counter.

Running out the door in hopes that Marshall just left she began to scope the area. The first thing she noticed were the footprints leading down the dirt drive. She followed them until they stopped at the main road.

"McQueen."

Mary's thoughts were spinning so fast she almost missed Stan's voice.

"Stan, we have a huge problem."

"Mary, what's wrong?"

"Marshall left the cabin to go visit my father. I don't know when he left or who picked him up. His footprints lead to the main road. He left the SUV with me and a note."

Stan rubbed a hand over his bald spot. He had actually expected Mary to make this move. They all knew that James was holding out on them. The question was what and how it would affect what happened at the courthouse.

"It's not the only problem we have. I'm guessing Marshall called my friend for a ride. How long ago did Marshall leave? I can call and make sure that Evan returns Marshall to the cabin if it wasn't that long ago."

"I have no clue. I woke up and he was already gone. I thought he would sleep in. He was working himself into a frenzy trying to figure a way to keep all of us safe at the court house. He was tired and irritable last night."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can do. I need you to stay at the cabin Mary until I can make other arrangements for you. I can't afford to be chasing both of you. Marshall knows how to stay safe. You said he promised to call us. Mary, I know that you want to find Marshall, but you risk both of your lives by looking. I'll talk to him when he calls. Do you understand me?"

Mary understood what Stan was saying, but she felt the panic building inside of her. She already lost the father she'd thought she had and couldn't handle the idea of losing Marshall. Stan was right though. Marshall would go to places even she wouldn't think of in order to keep them both safe. It was both enduring and infuriating at the same time. If she went by the jail it would mean running the risk of getting them both followed and she was pretty sure it would make it easy to know that Marshall was somewhere in Phoenix.

"When he calls you, make sure that you tell him to call me and that he better be figuring out a way to save his ass when I get my hands on him."

"With any luck he hasn't gotten that far. Seth and I'll be leaving for Phoenix in two days. I'll be giving you the location when I call. I'll set it up early for Marshall if he's already on his own."

"Stan, you and I both know that he is. I can't believe the Doofus did this."

"You shouldn't be surprised. While it is something I would expect from you, Marshall knew that too. When were you planning on leaving him to see James. He's your partner Mary. He knows you better than you know yourself. Marshall has always felt the need to protect those he cares about and whether you like it or not that includes you. There was added pressure with his family being here."

Mary didn't answer Stan's question. She had planned on sneaking out tomorrow night. Marshall's wounds were healing and didn't need the ointment anymore.

"Just find him, Stan. Call me when you know anything."

"Work the case from where the two of you left off or you'll go crazy worrying. I'll call you back as soon as I talk to Evan," Stan replied before hanging up and dialing Evan's number.

"Hey old timer!" Evan answered, recognizing the phone number.

"Evan, please tell me Marshall is with you," Stan replied.

"No, I dropped him off to pick up a care a few hours ago at a used car dealership. Why?"

"He went rogue on me to get information for the case. Marshall is putting a bull's eye on his back. I was hoping it hadn't been that long ago and you could deposit him back at the cabin."

"I'm sorry Stan. I assumed that you were aware of his leaving. He acted like everything was alright. I didn't even think of asking if you okayed his leaving the cabin."

"Marshall would play it out that way. He doesn't like to lie unless he has to. Thanks Evan. Mary has strict instructions to stay put until I tell her she can move. One of them was bound to leave because of the case. I should've placed guards on them."

"Do you want me to head into Phoenix to look for your friend?"

"No, I don't want you any more involved than you already are. Thanks, Evan," Stan hung up and looked into the bullpen area to see Marshall's family working.

He would need to tell them after Mary. This wasn't going to go over well at all. He had a few choice words to say to Marshall also. He should've stuck with his instinct on having someone watch them both. He had really thought Mary would try the escape and Marshall would stop her. Dialing Mary's number he waited.

"Where is he?" Mary asked.

"Evan dropped him off at a used car dealership."

"Marshall would buy a car that couldn't be tracked and would blend in anywhere."

"I'll call you later today. I need to tell Seth and Marshall's brothers. I'll send his brothers out to the prison to see if they can pick Marshall up. Mary, be careful and don't leave until I tell you when and where. That is an order and I'll take your badge if you disobey it. Am I clear?"

"Yes, boss," Mary replied, agitated.

"Good, talk to you later," Stan said, hanging up and heading to the bull pen.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall drove around the prison and surrounding areas coming up with a plan on how to get out without being caught, where to lose a tail just in case, a place to ditch the beater he was driving and a bus route to get out of the area before getting a different car. His disposable cell phone was in his hand and the urge to call Mary was great. There was no way that he could do that until he finished talking to James. He would call Stan once he left the jail or if he received any pertinent information. He had one thing to use against James. The one thing James didn't want to hear.

Getting out of the beater Marshall walked into the prison with a group of guards coming on for the next shift. His eyes scanning the building, rooftops, streets and anywhere someone could shoot him from while trying to stay mixed in with the guards. Entering the prison; Marshall headed to the front entrance officer and showed him his badge.

"I'm here to speak with James Shannon," Marshall said, to the officer.

The officer began to look through his list for the note he had been given a little while ago.

"I was told to give you this message before letting you in to see the prisoner," the officer replied, while handing Marshall the note.

"Thank you," Marshall said, taking the note and grimacing. Grabbing his cell phone he moved away from the officer and dialed the number on the note.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" Stan yelled, without even looking at the caller id. He knew it was Marshall because he was the only one with this number and it would be disposed of as soon as they were done.

"Stan, I know you're mad, but we need this information. There are too many missing pieces and not enough time to find them. If it wasn't me, then Mary would have done it. She's the last person that needs to confront her father before trying to elude the Rojas. Her head isn't completely in this and visiting with her father would only play with her emotions more. I did what was necessary. We both know that James is the only one with the answers to the questions. If we're going to be ready then he has to tell us what we need to know."

"What makes you think that he'll talk to you?"

"I'm assuming we have the Griffins coming to the courthouse. He's willing to sacrifice Mary, Brandi and Jinx to protect them. James will talk to save the family he wants."

"Alright, I'm sure that you have a plan for getting yourself out of there safely, but I've made other arrangements for you. Grady and Kyle will pick you up from the prison and take you to the safe house where Seth and I will meet you tomorrow. They'll be waiting in the parking garage in a Gray Tahoe. Mary will be advised that she can move there tonight or tomorrow. You _will _then stay at the safe house unless I give you permission to leave. Are you clear on that?"

"Yes, Stan. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Make sure you call Mary when you're safely away from the prison. She's pissed as all hell at you right now. You better be prepared for her wrath and your father's. When they're done with you, then you and I will have a discussion."

"Bye, Stan."

Marshall hung up not relishing the many dressing downs he was going to be getting today and tomorrow. In the end, it would be worth it if they could get the information they were missing. Walking back over to the officer, he checked to see if James was ready. A few minutes later he was led back to the interrogation room that James was in.

"Marshall, what a pleasant surprise," James said, smiling knowing that the Rojas would more than likely be following the young man after this. "What can I do for you today?"

Marshall knew he would eventually wipe the smirk off of James's face. For know though he'd play it out.

"I want answers as to who you hired to follow us. They were not a private investigator or any other legal entity. We've checked."

"Well I guess you'll have to keep checking," James replied, he didn't want to reveal his other connections unless absolutely necessary. The last thing he needed was two cartels after him. He hadn't intended on crossing paths with either, but fate had forced him into it.

"I'm not going to play your games, James," Marshall said, knowing it was time to reveal his hand or they would be playing cat and mouse all day. "If you don't tell me, I'm sure that I can have a few words said to Ranger Security and have your other family dragged out in the open. Wonder how long they would last without protection. As it is they're going to get all of your dirty laundry aired out in front of them when they get brought to the courthouse for your trial. Maybe then you'll feel the sense of abandonment that you instilled in your eldest daughter," Marshall said, getting the response he hoped for. He saw the panic flash through James eyes and the smirk disappear.

"You leave them out of this. They have no business being here," James replied heatedly.

"They have every right to be here. They'll finally find out about the bank robbing, cartel helping man, who abandoned one family to start another and then set his original family up to be killed. Then again, who knows what happens when Rojas gets to see the other family and find out I'm not your gambling addicted son. I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree there."

"I don't want them here. They'll be killed. You're supposed to protect people."

"I am. I'm protecting your two daughters, myself, my boss and my family. The security firm wasn't really happy with the lies you told them, or the fact that you tried to get them to set up a meet that could potentially get two federal agents killed. It isn't good for their reputation of being a legit company. Oddly enough, they're more than willing to help us in any way they can. So you can either start talking to me or I can make a loud commotion and everyone will know about the Griffins. What is it going to be?" Marshall knew he wouldn't do that, but he was hoping James would be worried enough to tell him.

"If I tell you everything that I know, then you promise to keep my family away from the courthouse."

"I can't do that. I'll guarantee them protection, but they'll be brought to the courthouse. You can't hide the truth from them forever. Sooner or later you're going to have to step up to the plate and admit to your new family that you were not only a criminal, but that you abandoned your daughter two days before her eighth birthday. You left a child to raise an infant while in the presence of an alcoholic mother. You lied to you new wife and family to protect yourself. Finally found the perfect life and was afraid it would slip away from you. You've made a crap load of bad decisions and you're going to have to answer for them when all is said and done. Time for you to be a man and take responsibility for your actions. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but yours fall into a whole new category of stupid."

"You have no right to judge me," James snapped.

"I have plenty of reasons to judge you; starting with my partner, Brandi, Jinx and you putting a target on my back. You brought me into this and I intend to finish it. Mary and the rest of her family will be safe. No thanks to you. Now, why don't we get back to who was following us in New Mexico and what role they play in the upcoming court case? I also would be more than interested in knowing who the Rojas would use to extract information out of."

James was pissed. He didn't think they would find his family so quickly. He had heard they were good, but hadn't expected this much success. Without any other options he was going to have to let Marshall have his answers. It was the only way to keep his family safe.

"Manuel Ruiz was the man following you. He's the person the cartel sends in to preview areas before picking drop off locations. He's basically they're scout. The Mexican cartel was more than willing to lend me him if it confused the Columbians. As you can imagine they want to cut into each others businesses. If the Rojas go to prison then it leaves territory open for the Mexican cartel to take over their area."

"Which Mexican cartel?"

"The Santiago's are trying to expand their reach."

"How did you get connected to the Santiago's? Are they planning on a hit against the Rojas at the courthouse? Do they know about your first family or the Griffins? Am I your son as far as they know? How much danger are we all in?"

"I wouldn't put it past them to go after the Rojas at the courthouse. The only thing they know about is the fact that I have three children. Yes, they think you're my son. Having their scout follow the three of you mafe it appear to both sides that you were my family. It was the best way to protect my son. The amount of danger depends on where you are and who finds you. The Rojas want you dead to keep my silence. The Santiago's could care less unless I betray them. With you bringing my family out in the open it will probably be safer for you. They'll be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Is that what you were hoping for?" James asked, bitterly.

"No, what we're hoping for is to keep all of us safe. Unlike you, we don't set people up to die. We protect them. Your family will be kept safe from harm. What happens between you and them is your problem. The one thing you're going to do is answer all the questions that Mary, Brandi and Jinx have. You owe them that much. In reality, you owe them more than you can ever give them, but you'll sit there and take it like the man you never were. Personally, if you rot in jail it would be too good for you. Leaving an eight year old to raise a baby and her mother, but continuing to keep her clinging to hope by sending her letters that made her think you loved her and would some day return. You are the lowest of low scumbags and if you end up with no family then you'll finally get what you deserve. A life waiting to see if maybe today is the day your family will come back to you. You'll learn what it was like to be Mary as a child. You'll finally understand the sense of abandonment that you instilled on her. Now, who is on the take and giving them our information?"

"Who has something they can hold over their head. Rojas is noted for using family members to keep people in line. He's probably got someone watching someone within the legal system or who handles your information. Family is a powerful thing to hold over some people, as you well know."

"Yet other people just throw them away like dirt. The only good thing you ever did was bring Mary into this world. You screwed up her life, yet she still survived every thing that life threw at her. She became something without you and because of you. The only thing that I will ever be grateful for is that the screwed up path you sent her on brought her into my life but that doesn't excuse your actions."

"I did what I had to in order to protect my family."

"She was your family. You seem to forget that unless it's convenient for you."

"I never forgot that, but I had to make a choice. Mary and you are very capable of taking care of each other and those you care about. You have others that will help you. Sarah, Lauren, Scott and Melissa couldn't survive against the Rojas. I did what was necessary."

"You keep telling yourself that and maybe some day you will actually believe it. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Tell Mary she's still my little princess and that she needs to realize that I did what I felt I had to do. I love her" James said.

"I'll let you spin that tale to her and you can deal with what she says to that. You're version of love is sick and twisted."

"What about you? You love my daughter and yet say nothing. You moved in with a woman that you tried to love the way you love Mary but it didn't work for you. Granted for me it was a benefit but when are you going to step up to the plate?"

"What I do or don't feel towards Mary is none of your business."

"I'm her father. It's always my business."

"You stopped being her father when you walked out on her. If she wants you in her life then you can consider yourself lucky. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. She hasn't needed you in years" Marshall replied, heading towards the door.

"You walked away from her to come here" James said, as the guard opened the door to let Marshall out.

"Yes, and she'll rip me a new one for it but she knows that I'll always come back. That is the difference between the two of us. I would never abandon her" Marshall replied, before the door closed.

James stared at the door as it closed for several minutes, before dropping his head in his hands. They were better then he expected and now all his hard work had been for nothing. Marshall was right, he would more than likely lose both of his families. He expected to lose his first; but not his second. Sarah wouldn't forgive the lies or the fact that he had abandoned his first children and set them up for the Rojas to go after. She'd understand his need to protect her and the kids, but definitely not putting a target on someone else's back. His neatly built second life was about to crumble around him and there was no way to stop it.

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Mary was pacing back and forth across the floor waiting impatiently for Stan or Marshall to call. She was going to rip her partner a new one when she got her hands on him. She had been thinking of ways to hurt him for doing something stupid even if she knew it was something she would never do. His damn little grin and alive face would prevent that from happening. Mad she could do at him, but it never seemed to last. Hurting Marshall was really a pipe dream because she hated seeing him in pain. She'd never voice that thought out loud either. The cell rang causing her to rush over and see who was calling.

"Stan, where is he, how is he and is he safe?"

Stan couldn't fight the smile that appeared on his face. Mary was as tough as nails, but Marshall was her weak spot. It was good that someone had found their way through her tough exterior. The only thing that ever caused him concern was what would happen to Mary or Marshall if one of them didn't make it home from an assignment. He didn't think the other would survive. They were two parts of a whole.

"Marshall is at the prison visiting with your father. He's fine for now and his brothers are waiting outside to pick him up and take him to the safe house we set up in Phoenix for the two of you. Jinx and Brandi will be flown in for the trial and escorted with a detail. The Griffins are going to be put up in another house if they agree to it, when we go to talk to them tomorrow. Seth and I will be flying out with them if they agree to come. I assume you want to move to the safe house today."

"Damn straight. That Doofus needs to fill me in on what he knows after we have a little discussion. Did he learn anything?"

"Marshall hasn't called back yet. I talked to him when he arrived at the prison. I had the guard give him a different burn phone number. I wanted to keep this one active and only known by us and Marshall's family."

"Give me the address to the new safe house and I'll head there now."

Stan gave Mary the address.

"Mary, leave your partner in one piece. We need him around for my sanity at the very minimum."

"Sure ruin my fun Stan. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be checking in with the two of you tonight. Our meeting with the Griffins is early in the morning. I want to get to Phoenix as soon as possible. The two of you stay at the safe house this time. I mean it. Marshall's brothers are on strict orders to keep an eye on the two of you until Seth and I arrive."

"Trust issues much? See you, Stan," Mary said, hanging up and grabbing her away bag that she packed while waiting for Stan or Marshall to call.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Grady sat in the Tahoe with all the mirrors angled to get the best view of the parking lot while Kyle stood outside the SUV looking at rooftops and any other possible area that a sniper could take a shot at Marshall. There was no way in hell they were going to let anyone take out their baby brother.

Kyle continued to scan for any kind of movement from the rooftop. He figured it would be the best position for someone to take a shot at Marshall. He stiffened as he saw Marshall round the corner and his hand went to his weapon just in case. He signaled to Grady that Marshall was coming and could hear the engine start right away. Kyle couldn't stop the grin that snuck on his face as he watched Marshall checking all the sights too. He was walking in the parking lot in areas that would make it hard to shoot him. He knew his brother had plotted out everything before going into the station. Now, he watched as he weaved in and out of cars working his way towards them.

"Kyle," Marshall greeted as he finally got close.

"In the back and on the floorboard, you stay down until we tell you that you can get up," Kyle ordered after opening the door for Marshall.

"I know the drill better than you" Marshall muttered, low enough for neither of his brothers to hear.

Kyle got in and they took off on a tour of the city while trying to make sure that no one was following them.

"Do you know what kind of a stupid, crazy ass stunt you pulled doing this?" Grady asked, angrily. "Heaven forbid you use the brain of yours to stay safe in a cabin while we were working the case. Just set yourself up to die, genius."

"Are you through yet, because really I have three more lectures coming and I can guarantee you that they will lecture me a whole lot more than you will. Both of you know for a fact we needed to have more information and that wasn't going to come in time for the trial. I did what was necessary to help the case. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Of course you would. That really isn't the point, Marshall. You scared the crap out of all of us and where did you intend on hiding?" Kyle asked.

"I had a place set up with two other backups in case it was necessary. Contrary to my family's opinion, I'm good at my job and know how to take care of myself" Marshall replied irritated.

"So what did you find out?" Grady asked, knowing they might as well get the information. Marshall was right about his next three lectures. Who would be the worse was yet to be seen. Grady would've said his father, but he's heard the stories about his partner and wasn't willing to debate the point without having met her yet.

"How far from the safe house are we?" Marshall asked, not really feeling like telling this story three times.

"Well since no one is following us, about three minutes. Why?" Kyle said.

"I figure it would be easier to do this one time instead of multiples" Marshall replied.

"Baby brother has a point," Grady replied, pulling into a garage. "Marshall, do you recognize that SUV?"

Marshall sat up and noticed his brother put the car into reverse at the same time he saw Mary come into the garage with him arms crossed over her chest and a pissed off look on her face. He also noticed both brothers reach for their guns.

"Don't shoot my partner. Mary is ornery enough and doesn't need a bullet to make her angrier."

"How the hell did she beat us here?" Kyle asked, removing his hand from his Glock.

"She's mad at me and took it out on the gas peddle. Now, if you keep her waiting she's just going to get pissier and I'm really not in the mood to irritate her any further," Marshall said.

"You're afraid of a girl?" Grady asked.

Marshall couldn't help but smirk before replying. "She's not a girl."

Grady and Kyle both looked back at Marshall in confusion, but he was already getting out of the SUV and heading towards his partner. The first thing they saw was his partner hit him in the arm several times. Not sure what to expect they both quickly got out of the vehicle.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Mary asked, furiously.

"Mare, you know better than that. I had the whole threat assessment done before I even left. Don't go getting angry at me over something we both know that you had planned on doing yourself. You already had planned to leave as soon as you knew that my cuts were okay. You're too emotionally attached to this to walk in and be able to think rationally after James played with your emotions. You may be angry at James, but he is still your father and knows how to push your buttons. If you would have walked out after that, how easy of a target would you have been? You know just as well as I do that this was the best way to do it. You're just pissed, because I did it before you could," Marshall said calmly.

Mary wanted to argue with his rational. Deep down though a part of her knew that Marshall was right about what could have happened. That didn't mean she was going to completely let him off the hook or admit he was right.

"I could've handled it just fine. I'm not an emotional wreck, Marshall. I can handle the things I need to and deal with them later if they need to be dealt with. It's not okay for you to put yourself in harms way to keep my family safe. James never should have put you in this position. You do not ever get to sneak out on me and risk your life again. Do you understand me?" Mary asked.

"I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I wouldn't repeat my actions again. If it was necessary for the safety of our people or someone I care about I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The same way you would if the roles were reversed" Marshall said.

Mary hated when he used logic or reason against her in an argument.

"Never again, Marshall. We're a team and we work together from now on" Mary said, adamantly.

"I'll agree to those terms, only if you do the same. I know that I'm right about what you were planning to do. You know it too. If you want those terms from me, than you have to have the same terms with me," Marshall replied, refusing to back down.

"Fine, now introduce me to your two brothers and then let's call Stan and your Dad so that we can go over what you learned," Mary said, frustrated that he stood up to her. He seemed to be doing it a lot more. It started when she was pregnant, but didn't stop after she'd given the baby up and came back to work.

"Grady is the one on the left and Kyle is the one on the right. Grady is the oldest brother and Kyle is the middle child. Grady and Kyle, this is my partner Mary Shannon."

"Nice to meet you," both brothers replied, as they shook Mary's hand.

"If you two are done arguing, lets call Dad so little genius here can tell us what he learned" Grady replied, heading into the house.

Mary had to stop herself from laughing as the two brothers went through the house checking it before deciding it was safe.

"They never figured out that you were in WITSEC?" Mary asked.

"Nope, they even gave me instructions on lying down on the floor until they decided it was safe for me to come up," Marshall smirked.

Mary had to stop herself from laughing. "What branch?"

"FTF"

"Ready to talk to Dad, baby brother?" Grady asked.

"Baby brother. How cute" Mary said sarcastically and was rewarded with a glare from Marshall. "There's a speaker phone set up in the living room."

Dialing the number Stan gave Mary they waited for the older marshals to pick up the phone.

"McQueen."

"The gang's all here," Mary said.

"I don't even want to know how it is that you got there so quickly. Marshall, are you alright?"

"Fine Dads," Marshall replied, knowing Seth was there also.

"Marshall…" Seth said, warningly.

"What did you find out?" Stan asked, before father and son had an argument.

"Things at the court house have the potential to get a ugly fast. It depends if both cartels show up" Marshall replied, before going over everything that he and James discussed.

"Alright, I'll have Eleanor run a background check on all the DOJ people involved in this and see if any of them have wife and kids missing," Stan said.

"The kids would be easier to track. You'll know if they haven't been to school. Stan, if someone at the DOJ is involved they'll know the first day is a set up. We're not going to be fooling anyone that day, plus it will be a waste of time and money," Marshall said.

"We're actually going to go ahead with the trial. We'll see if we can get the judge to limit who can be in the courtroom. The problem will be in the corridors and entering and leaving the building," Stan replied.

"Unless they decide to barge in through the courtroom, especially if both cartels show up. Is there any way to limit the courthouse to just handling this case until the trial is over?" Kyle asked.

"Limit the number of casualties and possible threats. The two cartels aren't going to be shy about their presence. What trucks or services go into the courthouse on a daily base that we could use to smuggle James in without having to walk him through the main corridors?" Seth asked.

"We can look into that" Kyle offered.

"Stan, where are Jinx and Brandi?" Mary asked, concerned for their safety.

"They won't be flown in until the morning of the trial and then will be escorted in with a detail. They'll bring them in the back entrance."

"Stan, you might want to try one of the side entrances. The back and front are the two most logical choices to bring people in" Marshall said.

"We can go over exact details when Seth and I arrive tomorrow afternoon. We're meeting with the Griffins in the morning. Ranger Security is still going to be escorting them in. Mary and Marshall, the two of you are to stay put in that house. Grady and Kyle, if they show any signs of doing something stupid handcuff them to something they can't break free of and be creative. Those two have a tendency to think outside of the box, especially when they're together."

"It would be our pleasure Chief McQueen" Grady replied, smiling at the thought.

"I wouldn't be getting any ideas there, buster," Mary warned.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Stan said, knowing it was a good time to get off the phone before Mary started something.

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Rojas was getting frustrated. His men had come up with nothing on James Shannon's children or wife. Time was running out on them. He decided it was time to change tactics.

"Raul," Rojas called out.

"Yes, boss."

"I want the majority of our eyes pulled off the street for now. I want you to remind our friend in the DOJ what will happen to his precious family if he doesn't tell me where James has hidden his family. Leave him a message that makes it very clear. In the meantime, I want the rest of the team gathered so we can go over the plans for the courthouse," Vinicius Rojas. "James Shannon will not be sending Andres and Luis to prison. I will not have my son going to jail."

"What happens if we don't get him before they're convicted?" Raul asked, they had all anticipated having James family or at the very least his son by now. A son for a son; that was the justice that Vinicius believed in.

"Then we make sure that James never sees his family alive again, but not before I punish him first. He will watch his heirs die one at a time. Go and let the others know."

"Yes, sir," Raul replied, already knowing that was going to be his response. "I'll let the men know."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary, Marshall, Grady and Kyle came up with a list of vehicles that could or would come and go from the courthouse. They finally decided upon a delivery service, since packages get delivered on a fairly regular basis there it would work for their needs.

"Alright, I think we've done enough for today. Let's call it a night and see what Dad and Stan come up with" Grady said. "Marshall, which room do you want? We can double up tomorrow, until then we can have our own rooms."

Marshall was about to reply when Mary spoke up.

"Doofus is staying with me. If I have to handcuff him to make sure he stays, I will."

Kyle and Grady hid their smirks barely at the look Mary was shooting Marshall.

"I promised I wouldn't leave again. There really isn't any point in me leaving again. I already got the information that we needed" Marshall replied.

"We're so not discussing this" Mary said, grabbing Marshall and dragging him toward the room she picked earlier,

"Goodnight," the two brothers said amused. It earned them a glare from their little brother, but they ignored it.

"You want first or second watch?" Grady asked Kyle.

"I'll take the first watch. I don't think Marshall is going to escape anytime soon" Kyle said chuckling.

"I'm more worried about the two cartels. Marshall is right that this has the potential to get very ugly quickly" Grady replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No one is going to hurt Marshall on our watch. Get some sleep. I'll wake you up in four hours" Kyle replied, watching Grady acknowledge and head off to one of the rooms.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was lying in the bed waiting for Marshall to come out of the bathroom. She had a feeling that Marshall had left out information that she would need to hear. It was like him to make sure to not share details that were personal for her and not related to the case. Hearing the bathroom door open she picked up the handcuffs she had laid on the table next to the bed. She played with them as he walked towards the bed.

"Are you trying to get kinky on me, because for some reason I figured that you would use furry cuffs for comfort" Marshall said, unable to hide the smirk forming on his face.

"You keep dreaming, cowboy. Trying to decide if I should cuff you to me" Mary replied, not thinking about how that sounded.

"You have a whole new brand of kinky for me, Sunshine? How do you know that I wouldn't enjoy being cuffed to you? Think of all the things we could do" Marshall said, trying not to laugh as Mary blushed a little.

"Get in bed, Doofus," Mary replied, not believing her partner had just said that. The one thing she was glad about was he seemed a little more relaxed since getting the added information they needed.

"You promise to behave yourself? I'm not sure I'm ready for your kind of kink with my brothers down the hall and really once you've had a cowboy you won't go back to any other man. With my Dad and Stan coming I don't think you're ready for that change" Marshall said, waggling his eyes.

"You're not going to have to worry about getting ridden again if you don't move your scrawny ass into this bed," Mary replied.

Marshall slid into the bed and was surprised when Mary laid her head on his chest with her ear lying over his heart.

"Mare, not that I don't enjoy your company, but you're not a cuddler."

"No, but if I fall asleep and you try sneaking out on me again I'll wake up."

"How many times do I need to promise you that I wont? We needed that information or I wouldn't have left. Don't even lie to me and tell me that you weren't going to do it either. I know you better than that. We've already discussed this."

"What else did James say to you? You didn't tell us everything he said."

"The rest didn't concern the case. My brothers didn't need to know. I won't share your secrets, unless they are something that you want shared or agree that I can tell. I wouldn't do that to you."

"I know that Marshall. You're the one person in the world that I can trust. So don't do anything stupid like leaving and putting a target on your back again. You're lucky that no one came after you."

"I know but Rojas isn't going to let this go. The extra information we got will come in handy for protecting everone fro Rojas. He's going to want to punish your father."

"I don't suppose I could convince you to stay away from the courthouse. I don't want you to get killed because of my father."

"I'm not leaving your side. Would you stay behind if I ask?" Marshall asked, feeling Mary shake her head no. "Then don't expect me to. We're partners through the good and the bad. Now let's get some sleep. The next few days are going to be long and hard."

"Tell me what he said and then we can go to sleep," Mary said.

Marshall told her everything, but what her father said about his feelings. He was going to be the one who decided when, where and if he would tell her. There was no way he was letting James dictate to him what he should do for Mary. He knew that she wasn't ready for it while all of this was going on. Her feelings were mixed up enough with dealing with James. She didn't need him adding to the pile.

Mary listened to Marshall telling her what her father had said and while she knew he told her what was said she had a feeling something was left out. For now she would let it stay unspoken. She could tell he was tired and should be. She knew full well he hadn't slept before leaving to Phoenix. His voice began to fade and he finally drifted off. Mary let the steady beat of his heart lull her to sleep a few minutes later.


	5. Chapter 5

Seth and Stan met Jackson Maloney from Ranger Security in a secure location before heading to meet with the Griffins. The private jet was ready at the airfield to take them all to Phoenix. They had two sets of teams ready to move the Griffins and a SUV waiting for Seth and Stan to head to the safe house with Mary and Marshall.

Jackson rode in the SUV with Stan and Seth while two of his men drove ahead of them.

"You realize that you're going to have to prove to Sarah that her husband really is a criminal. She still thinks that what he is doing is testifying on something he witnessed. It will take a lot to convince her otherwise," Jackson cautioned.

"We are already prepared for that. We just need to know if any of the people in the pictures we brought have visited them or if they'e seen anyone suspicious hanging around. If the recognize the people in any of the photos it can help us with who were looking for. We're not expecting a lot from them; but the Griffins should be aware of what is going to happen. I would prefer they don't walk into this blindsided. What they are going to hear is going to be overwhelming to them already, but somehow I don't think finding out your husband set up his two children and a Marshal to get killed, so that her family could be safe would be something Sarah Griffin should hear for the first time during the trial. I want them prepared for what we're going to do and make sure that they know our intention is to keep them safe. I fully intend to make sure everyone in both families walks out of the courthouse alive," Stan said.

Jackson nodded in understanding. His team had dug up what they could on the Marshals that they knew were involved. His one contact confirmed that three of them were WITSEC and the other three were FTF. His intel also told him that this Mary and Marshall that were involved were noted to be one of the best teams in the Marshal Service and they kept their word to the best of their abilities. Jackson knew that meant that Stan meant what he said about getting both families out alive.

"Turn left up here," Jackson told Stan as they broke away from the lead vehicle.

"You're men are going to double back and make sure that we aren't being followed. I think you'll find that we aren't. They seem to be more interested in the Shannons and my son," Seth said.

"How did your son get dragged into this?" Jackson asked, even though he knew the answer. It never hurt to make sure your information was reliable.

"James needed a third child and that one had to be a boy. Mary and Marshall are together enough that it would be easy to say they were siblings. Occasionally he spends time with Brandi because of his association with Mary. He needed a son and Marshall fit the role he needed him to at the time." Stan answered for Seth.

Jackson confirmed what he had wanted and was more than willing to work with these men to keep the Griffins safe. He was sure that between his group and the Marshal Service he could keep his commitment fulfilled to James. He may not like the man but his family was innocent in all of this and they agreed to keep them safe and he wasn't about to break that committment because of James.

"Pull into the garage," Jackson said, as they arrived at the Griffins safe house.

"Did you tell them what we wanted to talk to them about?" Stan asked.

"No, I figured you would want to do the talking besides that part isn't what we we're hired to do. My job is to keep them safe. We did tell them that two representatives of the Marshal Service wanted to speak with them about James and we did advise them that they would be allowed to go to Arizona for the trial if they were so inclined. They were explained that they would want to listen to everythig that you said before making their decision. I also informed them they were staying within our protection and that you were providing us with another detail if they decided to go to the trial," Jackson replied.

"I hand picked the detail that will help you. They are people I have known for years and trust. I also did a background check for any signs of money problems or recent issues that I wasn't aware of as an extra precaution to make sure we didn't get caught off guard by something. I just want you to know that it was an extra precaution. I knew I wouldn't find anything. I believe you received that information yesterday." Stan said.

"Yes, I appreciate it. We already ran their profiles also with our connections. I have no problem with them helping. Shall we go in?" Jackson asked, not looking forward to this.

"The sooner we do this the sooner we get to Phoenix" Stan said, anxious to see that Mary and Marshall were still safe.

Jackson smirked at that. He knew what it was like to worry about your people. With that he led them into the house and into the living room where the Griffins were seated.

"Sarah, this is Chief Inspector Stan McQueen and Inspector Seth Mann of the U.S. Marshal Service. They would like to talk to you and your family about your husband's associates" Jackson said.

"Mr. McQueen, these are my children, Lauren, Scott and Melissa. How is my husband? When can we see him?" Sarah asked.

"Please just call me Stan. You're husband is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. After we finish our discussion, you can choose if you want to see your husband or not. If you so choose, we have a flight scheduled to leave for Phoenix after we're done here. Jackson and his team will come along since you're already familiar with them and there will also be a few Marshals that will take you to a secure location when we arrive."

"You won't be coming with us?" Sarah asked, somewhat confused.

"No, I won't. Seth and I have another group that we are taking care of while in Phoenix," Stan noticed Lauren and Scott look away.

Jackson picked up on it also and had a bad feeling things just got worse and he was right when Sarah noticed it.

"Lauren, Scott is there something wrong?" Sarah asked, concerned.

Stan noticed both children look away from their mother.

"You knew what James was doing before you were placed into Ranger Security protection." Stan said, knowing he was right on.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, looking between her two children and the Marshal that now looked angry. "Answer the man Lauren."

"Yes, Scott and I knew."

"So you knew your father was setting up two U.S. Marshals to be killed plus his other wife and daughter and you didn't think to call and give us or them a warning" Stan replied, irritated.

"What is going on?" Sarah asked, looking to Jackson who shook his head indicating he wasn't sure.

Jackson just realized that Stan knew the two eldest Griffin children before introductions were made. That part they hadn't uncovered and it made him a little edgy.

"What's going on is two of your children are fully aware that your husband is also married to another woman named Jinx Shannon. Lauren and Scott have both been to Albuquerque to visit them. Lauren here planted a bug in Mary's house so that James could listen in. From the latest we have been able to figure out he was trying to keep tabs on his first family in case he ever got caught. He knew he could use that information to put his plan into motion" Stan replied, handing the marriage license and photos of Jinx and James along with birth certificates for Mary and Brandi. He knew he was going to need all the information and proof he had.

"You can both be charged with interfering in a federal investigation, aiding and abetting a known fugitive. You knew that your father was setting Mary, Brandi, Jinx and Marshall up to be targeted by the cartel he was working for and did nothing" Stan accused.

"Dad told us not to tell anyone. It was to keep our family safe," Lauren replied.

"Someone needs to tell me what exactly is going on here. My husband is also married to another woman and has three children?" Sarah asked, getting more upset by the second.

"No. James has two daughters. He threw my son into the mix since he hangs around with Mary and occasionally Brandi" Seth replied, trying to hold back his anger. "He hired someone to follow them and keep tabs on them to look like a doting father. His plan was if everything went wrong they would go after them instead of you and your children."

"That can't be true. Jackson, he told us you were part of the U.S. Marshal Service and we were entering Witness Protection while he testifies and that he would be back after a few years in order to keep us safe" Sarah said.

"I run my own security firm. James hired us to keep the four of you safe. I was unaware of the fact that he set up some Marshals to die or that he told you we were with the Marshal Service. If I had known before then I would have contacted the Marshal Service to advise the of the situation" Jackson replied.

"We're willing to offer you the opportunity to go into witness protection to make sure that you are safe from the men that are after your husband. Our program has never lost any witness that has followed the rules. I realize that we are throwing a lot of information at you, but we also need to ask you some questions in regards to people you may have seen your husband with or near. We need to know how compromised your family is and if there are any more surprises coming our way. We're expecting trouble at the trial."

"James is testifying against people he saw kill someone. They're into all sorts of illegal activities or was that a lie too?" Sarah asked, feeling a mixture of anger and hurt begin to flow through her system.

"James is testifying against a Columbian cartel that he was helping. They are definitely into a lot of illegal activities" Stan went on to tell her what they knew about the crimes and charges that James was charged with and the deal for a shorter prison term. They went through the photos, but none of them had seen anyone of the people in them.

Sarah was trying to take this all in. It was a lot of information and a lot more questions that continued to plague her mind. More importantly she wanted to speak to her husband and meet this other family.

"I want to be at the trial and speak with James. I want to meet his other family that half of mine knew about. The rest of my decisions will be made after I've had time to think about all of this. When can we leave?"

"As soon as you can put some things together we will head to the airport. When we arrive at the airport a Marshal detail along with Jackson's team will escort you to a safe house" Stan replied.

"Where will the two of you be? Will you be protecting the other family and your son?" Sarah asked, feeling a sense of bitterness at the two men.

"I will be working with my inspectors to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe. We are not for safety reasons going to keep the two families in one location. The fact that my son is one of the inspectors working on securing the facility means that we will be with them. The best of the best and most trusted people that we know are involved in this. No one is being left out or treated differently. They just happen to be working the case besides having a target on their back" Seth replied.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little overwhelmed and angry. I don't mean to take it out on you." Sarah said, realizing they had all been drug into this by her husband. "We will go with you and accept the offer of Witness Protection. I will want to speak with my husband."

"That will have to wait until after the trial. Neither family will be seeing him before the trial. We don't want to take any chances of having either of the cartels seeing the families going to the prison. It would make all of our jobs that much more difficult. We are also planning on keeping both families in a secure area at the courthouse, until the trial starts. The same people that will be with you at the safe house will also protect you while at the courthouse."

"If you think it's safer then I will wait, but I will have a word with him," Sarah replied.

"If you want to get some things together, we need to be leaving," Stan said, watching as the Griffins went to grab the items they brought with them when they were moved to this house.

"The Griffins will ride with us" Jackson said.

"That's fine, we'll use one of our SUV's to lead the way and we will follow behind your SUV" Stan replied, not going to argue at the moment. The Griffins hadn't signed the MOU and were not officially part of the program at this moment. The research they had done on Ranger Security proved that they were more than capable of keeping them from getting killed.

"We're ready to go" Sarah said, as they returned with bags.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary watched Marshall as he continued to look over the courthouse information while trying to plot every single place a person could hide. It was like the collapsed building all over again. He would obsess over every detail until there was nothing else he could think of. She could feel the tension radiating off of Marshall because of how high the stakes were. She knew he was worried about both of their families and it was causing her to worry about him. Grabbing another cup of coffee she moved to the sofa to sit next to Marshall.

"Here" Mary said, handing him the cup.

"Thanks" Marshall replied, absently taking the cup and drinking it while pouring over all of his possibilities.

"What do we have so far?" Mary asked, hoping to distract him for a little while.

She couldn't figure out why she was so calm about all of this. If she wanted to be honest with herself it worried her, but then again she expected the worse to come when she faced her father without needing information about the people trying to kill them. Deep down she knew she'd be forced to deal with her abandonment issues, her father's ultimate betrayal and the family he chose to love that wasn't them. A part of her already wanted to run rather than admit any of this was real, but it was too late for that. While she didn't need anymore heartache in her life she knew it was going to come as soon as she let herself feel again. The part that scared her the most was how hard she would fall. Mary had no doubts that Marshall would catch her, set her upright and help her move on. It was the role he had taken on so long ago. It was weird how much she depended and trusted him. Nine years ago she would have never accepted the fact that someone could get through her rough exterior and worm their way so deep into her heart, but Marshall had. Since giving the baby up for adoption she had found herself taking a much closer look at her life and starting to admit things that she would have preferred to keep buried. So far all the emotions, doubt and self exploring she'd been able to keep to herself. It felt like time was running out on her now that her father had been found. All of her deepest insecurities were getting closer to the surface every day. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep lying to herself about them or burying them inside.

"Mare?" Marshall said, noticing the lost look on her face.

"What?" Mary snapped her head up, when she heard Marshall calling her name.

"Where did you go?" Marshall asked, concerned.

"No where important."

Marshall didn't push. He needed Mary to stay focused on their enemies until the case ended. He knew after that it would be an emotional roller coaster ride for his partner. She couldn't seem to catch a single break anymore. He also realized that since the adoption Mary had become more self aware of herself and others around her. He also knew she was still bottling a lot of it up and that bottle would more than likely uncork when this was all over with. Deciding to steer her back towards the plan he began to explain what he'd coe up with.

"Alright, here are all the possible places that a sniper could hide, these are the possibilities for a shooter in the courthouse, and here are all the possibilities of places someone could try and get close to James or one of us inside and outside the courthouse. I also have a list of possible places to plan an explosion that could cause an evacuation of the courthouse along with all of the escape routes from the courthouse."

"The families are going to be kept down here until the trial starts. We'll have details near my family and I'm guessing the Ranger Security team is going to insist on protecting the Griffins until they officially enter WITSEC," Mary said, looking over Marshall's threat assessment. It never ceased to amaze her at how his mind worked when it came to these things. "Do we have a list of the known cartel hitmen yet?"

"Stan said we should receive it shortly from some Eleanor person that he knows," Grady replied, coming into the room. Walking over to the table he looked at the information his brother had come up with and was impressed. "You sure you didn't forget anything?"

"Like what?" Marshall asked, before going back over the assessment.

"Marshall that was sarcasm. You should know it well by now. Relax you've covered everything there is. You're not psychic, but you're damn good at threat assessments," Mary replied glaring daggers at Grady.

Grady was trying to figure out why he was getting glared at, but waited until Marshall walked out of the room briefly.

"What?"

"Don't do that to him. Marshall is worried enough about everyone's safety. He's poured his heart and soul into trying to figure out every possible way we could get attacked. He doesn't want to miss anything in case it leads to one of us getting hurt or killed. If something happens that we don't forsee, Marshall will blame himself for it" Mary lectured.

"We can take care of ourselves. Marshall should be more worried about watching his own back" Kyle said, joining the conversation as he walked into the room.

"I swear your family is dense when it comes to Marshall. The three of you are here because my idiotic father made him a target. If something happens to any of you, the first person he's going to blame is himself. He doesn't need the added pressure of you putting doubts into his head that there is a flaw in his plan. There isn't any. He covered every scenario possible."

"I know that. It was what I was trying to say," Grady said. "I was impressed by what he came up with."

"Then say _that_ next time" Mary replied, but stopped from saying more as Marshall entered the room.

"Anyone hear from Dad or Stan" Marshall asked, knowing something happened before he returned, but knew no one in the room would say what.

"Yeah, they just finished up with the Griffins. They are coming to Phoenix with Stan and Seth. Mary's family will be flown in the morning of the trial. It didn't seem they were able to get anything useful from the Griffins. It seems he kept the Mom and youngest sister out of the loop" Kyle replied, and filled them in on what his Dad had relayed for now.

"Oh joy, a complete family union with the highlight of dear old Dad getting hauled off in cuffs. Bet your family reunions go much better then ours" Mary said sarcastically before heading out of the room and towards the bedroom.

Marshall stood up to follow Mary and heard the door slam shut in back. Looking towards his brothers, "Let us know when Stan and Dad arrive. Until then just give us some time to work through some things."

"One of us is going to do a search around the perimeter as a safety precaution," Grady said. "We'll let you know when they arrive."

"Thanks," Marshall said, and followed after Mary.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Seth were sitting next to each other and away from the Griffins on the jet. They wanted to talk more about the two Griffin children. They had a feeling that Scott and Lauren may know more than what they were saying.

"So how much do you think the two of them know?" Seth asked.

"A lot more then they're telling us. James confided in them, but I highly doubt that they know everything. I'm sure that he wouldn't want them to get in so deep that they would end up in a similar situation as him. I do believe that he got them to help him with some of the things he needed done and may know some of the people in the photos we showed them. We will try to talk to them individually and if that doesn't work we get proof that they know more. Once we have the proof we threaten them with arrest and if that doesn't work we do arrest them for interfering in a federal investigation and accessory after the affect" Stan said.

"Squeeze them hard," Seth agreed.

"First, let's see if they'll talk without their Mom around and if that doesn't work then we play hardball. I'm not risking innocent lives, because of two people trying to protect their father. They'll be explained that they are increasing the danger they are all in and risk violating their father's agreement for a short term prison stint."

"Sounds good. Who do you think will talk first? After meeting Mary, if the daughter is anything like Mary she might be more stubborn to deal with. The son and his gambling addiction could be used against him."

"I'm thinking one of us take each of them. I need to let Jackson know that we want to talk with the children separately. I'm thinking that we need somewhere private to speak with them. I'd take them to the local Marshal office or the F.B.I. office before going to the safehouse if we were sure who the leak is. I don't like that leak being out there. We'll probably have to have the conversation at the safe house. I don't want to be pulling anyone out of the safehouses before the trial" Stan said.

"Well the only people that know Mary and Marshall's location are us and my sons. Jackson, us and the detail are the only people who know where the Griffins will be. Since we know it's not any of us we shouldn't have a problem with the leak. That being said we will need to check in with Eleanor."

Stan agreed and dialed Eleanor.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall opened the door to the bedroom to find it empty. He then heard the sound of the faucet running in the bathroom. Walking over to the door he knocked softly.

"Mare."

"I'm fine, Marshall," Mary replied, while trying to stop herself from wanting to cry. There was only so much she could take and she was reaching her limit. A part of herself still wanting to be the little girl who believed her father would come back for her and the adult who knew he offered her, her family and Marshall up in order to protect his other family. Hearing they were coming intensified the pain of her father's betrayal.

"You're not fine, Mare. No one would be under the circumstances. Talk to me."

Mary knew Marshall was concerned and trying to be helpful, but she was afraid it would be her undoing. She also knew that he wouldn't go away. A little nagging voice was telling her to open up to him. To let herself voice it all, while the side of her that protected her kept trying to fight the little voice. She knew Marshall would never say anything or judge her but it was so hard to let down that wall she build for protection.

"There's nothing left to say Marshall. James made his choice several times over. I'll be out in a little while."

"If you think I'm going to buy into that you haven't been paying attention to me for the last nine years of our partnership."

"Can't you just once let me have my way? Why do you always have to push?" Mary asked angrily.

"I let you have your way more often then not. I'm pushing because it's what you need; even if you don't want to admit it" Marshall replied, knowing it would get the door open and an angry Mary out into the room. Two seconds later she was out and glaring at him.

"You think you know everything but you don't. Just because you can store trivia in your memory better than a computer can doesn't mean that you know it all."

"I never claimed to know it all. I just know you and I've learned over the years how to tell what you need. Right now you need a shoulder to cry on and a person to vent to. We both know it will be me, because I'm the only one you trust enough to not spill your secrets."

"I hate you," Mary said, swiping at the tears that had somehow managed to escape.

Marshall pulled her to him, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Leaning his mouth near her ear he whispered. "No, you're actually rather fond of me. You wish you could hate me because it would allow you to keep up all the walls you've built over the years. The only thing you hate about me is the fact that I managed to sneak in under the radar and you let me in before you realized what was happening."

Mary let out a small chuckle which somehow managed to turn into a choked back sob. Clinging to Marshall's shirt she finally let the tears flow for the little girl who lost the father she once adored and the illusion she created for the day when he would come back to her. She felt Marshall's hand running soothing circles on her back while whispering words that she couldn't really concentrate on while she let herself feel the pain. It was funny how when he spoke when she was upset that she never really listened to what he said, but his voice always managed to calm her frail nerves or sooth her deepest pains.

Marshall continued his motions and tried to do his best to comfort Mary. He knew that she would talk about it as soon as the tears were over and then pretend nothing happened. It was a defense mechanism born out of years of practice. He hoped that someday it wouldn't be necessary for her, but deep down he knew it would always be there in some shape or form. There were only a chosen few that might be able to get Mary to let her guard down around them. He knew that if it happened he would be one of the honored few that she would trust with her heart.

Mary finally started to calm down and began to pull back from Marshall while furiously swiping away the tears that she had shed for a man who lied to her about loving her. It had to be a lie because what else would make him set her up to die? You can't love someone and then make a choice to protect one part of your life while setting the other half up to die. Maybe that's what he wanted. With them out of the picture, he could still have the perfect life he had started with the Griffins.

"Mare, talk to me."

"I'm working on it give me a few minutes. This isn't an easy topic, but since you and your family got dragged into it; I owe you."

"I'm not keeping a score card and even if he didn't make it look like I was his son, I would still be involved."

"I know you would Marshall. You keep coming back for some unknown reason. I don't know why you put up with my abuse. I don't like seeing you stressing out trying to keep our families safe and then shouldering the blame if something happens. It's not fair to you. I know you do it because you care about all of us. It doesn't make it right. I don't even know where to begin with my feelings towards my father."

"Mare, just tell me what you want to. I can wait until you're ready to talk about anything else later. The only thing I do need to know is that you can keep your head and heart separate when we're at the courthouse. It won't be easy, but with how much is at stake and the players involved I need to know you can handle the two."

Mary would have been furious with anyone else asking that question, but with the two emotional outburst since they left Albuquerque and his uncanny way of being able to read her Marshall had the right to. She also knew he didn't question her skills and he was truly worried about her.

"There's too much at stake not to. I just, can we talk about it leading up to the trial when and if I'm ready? Maybe just some pieces here and there. I just don't know how to do this the right way," Mary said, looking away. She hated feeling weak in front of anyone.

"We can do this however you want. There is no wrong or right way. All we need to do is what's best for you."

"I expected the next time I saw him that it would be like it was when I was seven. It's hard to separate the fantasy that I imagined for all these years to the father who sent a cartel after me. I'm angry and bitter, which is nothing out of the ordinary, I know. I haven't had time to separate the two images I have of my father. The man I adored and know the man I'm starting to hate."

"Is it that you hate him or you hate the things that he's done to your family or a combination?"

"I hate the fact that I expected him to pull me into a hug and make everything okay again. I despise the fact that he set you up to die along with the rest of us. I hate that he told me he loved me, but then chose his other family over me. What kind of man does that? I might understand Jinx as they were always fighting but Brandi and I didn't deserve that. Not that I'm saying Jinx did either, but I could see his casual attitude directed towards her. Hell I even get wanting to keep us from the Griffins. Imagine what that will do to his little perfect world. I thought he loved us Marshall. He can't tell me he does, not after this. Do you have any idea what this will do to Jinx and Brandi?"

"One step at a time, Mare. We'll get your family through this. He did mention the reason he set us up was because he figured with our background that we stood a better chance at survival. I think a part of him is trying to justify his actions to bury the guilt. Not approving of anything he did, but he seems to have twisted it in his mind so that it justifies his actions. The reason that it's so hard is because you love your father and this makes you doubt if any of it was real."

"You think he still does?"

"I'm guessing yes, but he built a life that he cherishes with the Griffins and that couldn't include you or Brandi without it blowing up in his face. He set himself down a no win path and that path will cost him everything. I know that you won't be able to forgive him for this betrayal and I complete understand it, but you need to face him to get the answers to the why that you've wanted to know for so long."

"Oh trust me; I have every intention of getting the answers I deserve. I worry what this will do to Jinx. Brandi never really knew him, so I'm not sure what her reaction is going to be. Seeing the Griffins together is just going to add insult to injury. I know it's necessary, but I'll be glad if we get through all of this without a shouting match or cat fight taking place."

"The good news is that we won't have to play the referee for the match. They will be kept secluded until the trial is about to begin and any recess that may take place. Stan will more than likely use us to keep the courtroom safe. The only way we end up involved with the Griffins and your family is if the situation escalates between the two families. Then we will have to cook some popcorn and enjoy the show. I'm laying odds on Jinx and Brandi though."

Mary couldn't help but smirk. Marshall always did know how to cheer her up.

"I think I would need to bet with you on that one. Jinx can pull off a pretty mean cat fight if she's sober. Every time I think my family can't get anymore screwed up, they prove me wrong. You know that the reason I accepted Raph's proposal, because I wanted to find normal. I thought with him I could have that but it wasn't enough. He wasn't what I wanted. He represented normal and yet he wouldn't accept me for who I was or wanted. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not the screwed up one."

"Mare, you know who you are and what you want. You may not admit it, but deep down you knew that it wasn't right from the beginning. You tried to fool yourself that it was what you wanted. Raph knew it wouldn't work and called it off. He knew when he walked out that door you wouldn't stop him. Raph loved you, but didn't accept you for who you are. Sooner or later that would have come between both of you and ended up in a divorce. Raph knew it too. It's the reason he left. You both had one last fling because even though you knew breaking up was the right thing to do you weren't ready to see him with someone else so soon after the broken engagement. Both of you realized that you were going to be making the same mistake over again. Normal isn't decided by the painted pictures or photos of the picture perfect family they show in magazines, movies, books or television. You keep looking for an idea of what you believe a normal or perfect family is. Every family has their problems and differences. Normal is what you want it to be. A family that despite its differences sticks together when things get bad. They fight and argue but they will always care about one another. It's not an ideal or what everyone else tells you that it is. Normal isn't when happy is buried under a huge pile. Happy should be on the top of your list. It may lower itself once and awhile because sometimes people argue, but if you really love that person you will work it out. It's not always easy and it's not always fun but relationships are about two people working together to make things work even when times get difficult."

"Now I know why it didn't work out with Abby. You burst her happy bubble with that theory."

"It didn't work with Abby, because I didn't love her enough to spend the rest of my life with her or transfer to another state to be with her. She wanted me to move to another city and I'm happy in Albuquerque."

"Why didn't you tell me she asked you to move?"

"You had enough going on in your life. It wasn't something I was conflicted on."

Mary nodded, but before they could continue there was a knock on the door.

"Marshall, Dad and your boss just pulled in" Kyle said.

"We'll be right out," Marshall replied. He turned his attention back to Mary. "You ready to go?"

"I'm fine. Thanks Marshall."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rojas's men returned from looking all over the city for their targets. They were not having any luck.

"Report," Rojas demanded from his second in command Rico Alvarez.

"Our friend from the DOJ has no information. Apparently the Marshals realized there was a leak and decided to hide these people without anyone else knowing. We can keep some eyes on the streets and use some influence from other local contacts to tell us if they see anything suspicious before the trial," Rico replied.

"Good. Now you and I have some planning to do. Send the others out driving around and see if they can come across anything. Give them pictures of James's son and daughters and have them show the photos around."

"We could make a few flyers of them and say we haven't heard from them for awhile and if someone sees them to contact us. Play on people's sympathies. "

"Have some of the kids go. Say they are worried about their family. See if they can get information. Send them to local grocery stores. Some one had to see them arrive, if they are here."

"I'll let the men know the plan and meet you back in the office."

Rojas smiled. Rico was proving to be a great asset. He learned quickly and was creative in ways that the others hadn't been. The studying of the different cultures seemed to come in handy.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Seth were sitting in the living room along with Grady and Kyle when Mary and Marshall came out.

"Alright, what do you have?" Mary asked.

Stan and Seth filled them in on the details of the Griffins and Ranger Security. They also told them about their suspicions about Scott and Lauren.

"Why hold out now?" Marshall asked.

"Guess they're still trying to protect their father the only way they know how. If they don't talk to us at the meet tomorrow then they'll be charged. With what depends on how much they know" Stan replied.

"So what's our game plan?" Kyle asked, watching Stan walk into the kitchen.

"I want to go over Marshall's threat assessment that he drew up and figure out where the best places are to set up. I want to go over the information on the players that we are aware of and I need to call Eleanor to find out what information that she's been able to gather on the DOJ's missing people. I want to find the mole. We're going to need some food brought in here. I don't want delivery service used either. The less people coming here the better off we are. Rojas has to have people looking for Mary and Marshall," Stan replied, coming back into the room with a bottle of water.

"Marshall and I could go and be back in no time flat," Mary said, knowing her and Marshall were tired of being cooped up. The only difference is Marshall had a few moments of free time at the prison.

"Which part of the fact that Rojas has people out there looking for you didn't you understand? Do you think I talk to hear myself speak? You're cooped up no matter how much you don't like it" Stan replied frustrated.

"Kyle and I can go get the food," Grady volunteered.

"Make a list of what you need and give it to them," Stan said to Mary and Marshall. "I know you didn't get a chance to grab all of your supplies when you left.

"Make sure no one follows you" Seth warned Grady and Kyle.

"We're not kids Dad. We know what to do" Grady replied, trying hard not to roll his eyes at his father. After getting a list the two brothers headed out.

"Alright, Marshall let me see your threat assessment" Stan said, before sitting down and going over it.

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Grady and Kyle pulled into the grocery store and parked the car. Heading into the store they noticed two kids outside showing something to people.

"Wonder what fundraiser they're running?" Grady said.

"Excuse me sirs, could you please take one of these and call the number below if you see my cousins? My Aunt is worried about her son and daughter," the little boy said.

"Did they run away?" Kyle asked.

"She's not sure. They went on a trip and haven't called or returned. We're hoping that someone might have seen them or call if they do see them. It would mean a lot if you could look out for them," the little girl said.

"Sure, we'll take the flyer with us," Grady replied. He took the flyer and headed in with a cart. A few minutes later he took a look at the flyer for the first time while Kyle grabbed some items from the list.

Kyle walked back and saw that his brother was staring at the flyer like he'd seen a ghost.

"What's your problem?"

Grady handed the flyer to Kyle.

"Oh crap," Kyle said, looking at the flyer and seeing Mary, Brandi and Marshall's photos.

"Yeah, we got a problem"

"Want me to call Dad?"

"No, we don't want to appear anxious or worried. I don't want to find out someone is watching for people's reactions to the flyers. They probably have people to follow any reaction they think is suspicious. I'm not leading anyone to our brother."

"They're using kids to help them. That brother and sister damn well better talk if they know anything."

"Let's get this done and get home. The sooner we can inform Stan and Dad about what is going on the better."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Seth had finished going over the threat assessment.

"Good job Marshall. I want you and Mary to stay in the courtroom. I don't want you out in the corridor any more then you need to be. Even with the Griffins at the trial it doesn't mean that Rojas won't try to eliminate both families in retaliation. It may cause Rojas to question what he thinks he knows, but that doesn't make you two any safer. Now we need to arrange that meeting with Scott and Lauren," Stan replied.

Before anyone could answer they heard the sound of a key in the door. They all pulled their weapons and trained it on the door. A few seconds later Grady and Kyle entered the room.

"Nice to see you too. We have a huge problem," Grady said, ignoring the guns pointed at them and lugging the grocery bags into the kitchen.

"What kind of problem?" Seth asked.

Kyle pulled out the flyer and passed it to his Dad who passed it onto Stan.

"Well?" Mary asked impatiently.

Grady told them the story the kids were using at the grocery store.

"This just keeps getting better" Mary muttered.

"This means you two stay out of any window views. I don't want anyone seeing either of you. We're going to have to come up with a plan for moving both families back and forth from the trial" Seth said, as Stan's cell began to ring.

"McQueen."

The rest of the room watched as Stan listened to whatever was being said. The lack of words being spoken told Mary and Marshall that something was wrong.

"Well don't keep us in suspense" Mary said.

"They are going to limit who can enter the courtroom. Anyone acting suspicious will of course be asked to leave. Eleanor will have the list of the D.O.J. people involved to us within the next hour. There are a couple of possibilities. Two employees children never showed up for school the last couple of days" Stan replied.

"That doesn't explain the early leaks" Kyle said.

"Actually it does. Rojas might have just threatened the families at first and when we disappeared from sight they take them and use them to get the information. Everyone knows that these men are ruthless and wouldn't hesitate to kill children" Marshall replied.

"So use a family to get the information, get kids to do your dirty work, and what comes next? This is a nightmare waiting to happen" Grady said.

"Coming and going from the courthouse are the best places to attack. We need to run a background on everyone that works at the courthouse. They can use their families also to try and get the information. There are a lot of people they can use to get information or access to the building if they threaten their families" Mary replied.

"We're not going to disclose the information, as to when the families will arrive or where they'll be staying at in the courthouse. We're going to do the best that we can. There are a lot of possibilities in ways that this can play out and a lot of things we can do to keep mixing things up to try and stay ahead of them. We have to be prepared for anything and everything. The exit points in case of an emergency will be crucial. I want us to memorize the alternate routes that we can take to get out of the building. They'll expect us to use standard protocol. I don't want us following any of the standard protocol exits that will make anyone of the families vulnerable. That includes you and Marshall" Stan said.

"You're thinking like what happened with the one case we worked where the bomb went off outside and we were using the standard exits for emergencies" Mary replied, knowing she couldn't use Leo's name or what they were doing. Seth may know what their jobs were but Marshall's brothers didn't. Although, Mary was thinking they probably did with all this planning going on and the different theories they came up with to protect the families.

"Correct. Now Seth and I are going to go meet with Lauren and Scott. If you see anything suspicious or suspect this location maybe compromised, here is the next safe house on the list" Stan said, handing Marshall the information.

"Exactly how many safe houses do you have set up?" Grady asked, curiously.

"Fifteen, so far. There are three different groups that will need to be protected. If any of them become compromised then they have to be moved. It also gives anyone trying to figure out which houses the different people are at a lot more ground to cover" Stan replied. "The odds of that happening are slim since it's being kept secret amongst people I trust, but it never hurts to have a back up plan."

The others nodded in agreement as Seth and Stan headed out to the SUV.


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah was pacing back and forth in the house. She knew that the Marshals from earlier were coming to visit and wanted to talk to Scott and Lauren. She had lectured them for a good while about telling the Marshals everything they needed to know. She got the impression that the two Marshals were important to their boss and he wouldn't think twice about arresting her children if they withheld information. She honestly couldn't blame him. If the roles were reversed she probably would've arrested them already. She was disappointed in her children for not considering the welfare of the others. She understood the need to protect those you cared about but not withholding information that could get others was also curious to know about the Shannon family. Curiosity and the need to know more about the role her husband played in their lives was continuing to plague her mind. She understood James left them to keep them safe but that didn't seem to play a part in his other family. It was like she was married to a stranger. The man she fell in love with didn't have it in him to be this cruel or so she had been led to believe.

She heard the knock on the door and familiar voices coming in from the kitchen. They had all been advised about not opening or using the front doors. Not that they were allowed to come and go as they please, but something had changed since they first arrived. Her attention was turned to Stan and Seth as they entered the living room.

"Mr. McQueen, I would like to meet Mary before the trial" Sarah said.

"That's not going to be a possibility. No one is leaving any of the safe houses until the trial starts. Mary will be busy with securing the courtroom unless that I deem it unsafe for her or Marshall to be there. No one is meeting anyone until the situation is under control. It isn't safe for any of you to be out in public. I don't care how brief that meeting would be. The only way that I would even consider it, is if it was to help maintain the safety of all involved. You're wanting to meet her is a personal interest and while I understand your curiosity, I won't risk Mary or Marshall like that. I know you only want to meet Mary but if she goes out then Marshall will insisit on going too" Stan replied.

"What's changed?" Sarah asked, knowing something had to if they were tightening up security on all of them.

"The cartel is here. They have photos of Mary and Marshall and are having children use a fake story that they are missing and their Aunt is looking for them. When we are at the courthouse and if Mary chooses she can talk to you. I doubt that she'll talk to you until after the trial. Her mind needs to stay focused on her job" Stan replied.

"I told my children that they should cooperate with you fully. I'm assuming if they don't there will be consequences" Sara said, hoping to find out what they would do to her children if they didn't. She also noticed Lauren and Scott enter the room when she asked.

"They will be arrested and charged at the minimum with interfering with a federal investigation. It could go as far as being accessories after the fact if anything is withheld that would compromise the safety of all parties involved" Seth replied.

"Accessories after the fact to what exactly?" Scott asked.

"That would depend on what happens. If someone dies it would be murder. If it's one of my Marshals it's murder of a federal agent. You would be looking at a very long extended stay in a federal penitentiary" Stan said, honestly. He noticed with satisfaction that they both looked petrified at that. It would help them go along way at getting the truth.

"They _will _tell you everything they know" Sarah replied, glaring at her children. Lauren and Scott nodded in understanding.

"Lauren you go with Seth and Scott you come with me" Stan said, leading Scott into the kitchen while Jackson ushered Melissa and Sarah out of the living room.

Stan had Scott take a seat and then he sat directly across from him.

"I want to know everything that James has told you, was your meeting Brandi and accident or a plan, if it was a plan I want details and I want to know how much you and Lauren participated in all of this" Stan ordered.

"After Lauren's bug was destroyed, Dad had no way to find out what was going on in Mary and Brandi's life. He needed to know what was going on in their lives. He stopped me one day while I was out shopping. He gave me the information that I needed to be able to track down Brandi. I called her and she wanted to know more so she came to Miami. I did what Dad said, gain her trust and get her to open up about Mary and her lives. I learned about Peter and Marshall while gathering information on Jinx, Brandi and Mary. It wasn't like he was asking for us to set them up. He just wanted to know their routines and personal information. I would call him and let him know what was going on. Things were going good until my habit became a problem again. I had to get out before the bookie I owed money to found me there. That worked out for Dad's advantage. If anyone went digging into where my gambling debts came from it would lead them to Albuquerque and the Shannon's plus Marshall. It was the perfect set up. Dad was starting to have trouble with the Rojas and decided to come up with a security plan for our family" Scott said.

"You didn't seem to find it important enough to report to the police. You helped your father set up two U.S. Marshals to get attacked. They were shot at once and luckily escaped with mostly minor injuries. Is there anything else that he asked you to do?"

"No, once the Rojas turned their attention to Albuquerque we were supposed to stay out of sight. It's why he hired the security team. He was hoping with his minimal time in prison that he would come back and we could all go to some other country and stay hidden from anyone that could want to go after us. How much trouble are we in?"

"It really depends on what charges we're going to add on to your father's and if anyone gets hurt. There will definitely be charges brought against you. The least will be the aiding and abeiting of a known felon. What you did was wrong and it led to one of my inspectors getting hurt. I'll say this again that anything that happens because of your father and the information that you helped him gain adds time onto whatever sentence you receive" Stan said, infuriated at how well Mary's father had planned and plotted to make sure Mary, Marshall and Brandi were targeted.

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Seth sat across from Lauren and noticed she seemed nervous. He understood his own kids had looked at him like that when they were about to get a lecture.

"Tell me everything you did for your father, how it relates to this case and what you know about his plan set up not only his children to get killed if things went bad but also my son" Seth demanded, noting that Jackson was standing in the background after having ushered the wife and daughter to the back room.

"You're son?" Lauren asked, her eyes getting big at the implication of what he just said.

"Marshall is my youngest son. I don't appreciate the fact that you helped your father to set him up to be killed. There were legal ways for James and your family to be protected and those were ignored by the three of you who knew what was going on. The Prosecutor is going to hear about them and if I have anything to say about it, your father will be spending a whole lot more time in prison then he was supposed to. How much time you and Scott spend if any depends on the way things play out."

Lauren looked at the stern face of the man in front of her. She felt herself swallow hard before starting to tell her story.

"The first trip to Albuquerque was to place the bug in the house so Dad could hear what was going on in Mary and Brandi's life. He really didn't seem to have much interest in Jinx. He did ask me to bring the note for her. I think he wanted to cut the strings and give her some bit of peace. I didn't know at that time it was the beginning of his plan to work his way into setting up his original family. Dad wanted to keep tabs on them that was all he kept saying at first. It became obvious that it was more than that when Mary destroyed the bug telling him that she didn't need him anymore. I don't think that Dad thought she would ever give up on him. After that he would come into town to follow them around in case Rojas started looking for his family. He hired a private eye and a friend to keep track of Mary, Brandi and Marshall. The two of them followed them around and made sure to keep tabs of the places they frequented and any common routines. Dad fired the private eye shortly before the next time he called me. When Dad called me the next time, he was in a lot of trouble. He said Rojas was going after him and that he was going to lead them to the Shannon's. It was his belief with Mary and Marshall in law enforcement that they could protect themselves and Brandi. We didn't have the skills to protect ourselves and he was worried they would put him in jail. He wasn't supposed to get caught. He was going to come back after he escaped and head out of town with our family. We were going to relocate to another country."

"You left the Shannon's and Marshall to deal with the fallout from the crimes and the cartel. You helped your father set them up to die. There are going to be consequences for these actions."

"What do you mean consequences?" Sarah asked, entering the living room.

"Your daughter knowingly helped a felon to set up your husband's other family to be killed. Right now the charges are aiding and abetting a known felon and accessory to the attempted murder of a U.S. Marshal," Seth said, as Stan and Scott entered the room.

"Your son is guilty of the same crimes. He gathered information to help set them up which led to the shooting at one of our safe houses in Albuquerque. That led to one of my inspectors receiving minor injuries. Where we go from here really depends on which way the prosecutor wants to take it. I can guarantee you that James shorter sentence has just gone out the window. Your only hope for your children is that they get a deal to testify against their father or they'll be going to jail. The prosecutor will decide what charges will be filed against them and will add to them if anything else happens. You're children are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and what they did is inexcusable" Stan replied.

"James was given a deal. He testifies and he gets a short prison term," Sarah said.

"The provision was that he kept out of trouble and didn't harm anyone. That provision has already broken. He's going away for a very long time. The fact that he had planned and calculated all of this from the beginning will not help his case. No jury won't convict someone that is that cold and conniving" Stan replied angrily.

"What happens after this is over?" Sarah asked.

"Your family, at least the ones not in prison, will be given new identities, new lives and a new location. You will never return to your roots and never be in contact with anyone you have ever known if you chose to enter the program. If not you'll be dead rather quickly. At the trial it will come out that James was willing to sacrifice his first family to protect yours. In doing so he actually put you in more danger. If he had been smart, he would've walked away and never kept in touch with any of you. It would've kept you safer" Stan replied.

"Why do we have to have a new life? How much extra time will James get?" Sarah asked, desperately trying to figure out how her life began to spin so out of control.

"If you decline joining witness protection, Rojas will have people come and kill you. The Marshal Service can create a new life for you with new names and new location. If you follow the rules of WITSEC then you will be able to have a safe life in another city. James will end up spending the rest of his life in prison, before all is said and done. He was already on the FBI's most wanted list. All of the charges they were going to drop to give him a short stint will now be brought back in and so will new charges," Stan replied.

"Wait, he tried to protect us so he loses his freedom?" Sarah asked.

"Trying to protect you the wrong way, does not go with his deal. Causing an attack on two federal agents, running away from federal protection and committing all sorts of crimes in order to maintain his facade with you is why he'll lose his freedom. James brought this on himself. You're acting like your husband, which by the way he technically isn't since he's still married to Jinx; is a victim. James is not the victim in all of this. He's a criminal and has been all his life. In case you didn't catch what was said earlier about the shooting, _my _son was injured trying to protect him and his partner from the men James sent after them in order to protect your family. The victims in this are you, Melissa, Mary, Mary's family and Marshall. You're other two children are a far cry from innocent also. They helped set up this fiasco" Seth replied, angrily.

"We were just trying to help our family" Lauren defended.

"You don't protect your family by setting up someone else to die. You know full well that what you were doing was wrong. If you didn't then you're parents obviously did a crappy job raising you and I highly doubt your Mother taught you any of this" Seth replied, knowing he should rein in his temper but this whole conversation was making him angrier by the second.

"What happens to Lauren and Scott?" Sarah said, needing to know how bad things were going to get.

"Like we said before, that will depend on the prosecutor. For now they are not allowed to leave the house unless escorted by a U.S. Marshal. If anyone helps them try to escape they end up as accessories to all of this too" Stan cautioned.

"We will not interfere with their arrest and will make sure they have a Marshal with them at all times. I meant what I said when I told you my firm is a law abiding firm" Jackson replied.

"Let's keep it that way" Seth said, before he and Stan left.

Sarah waited until the two Marshals left before looking towards Jackson.

"You're not going to help Lauren and Scott?"

"No, they are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. They chose the wrong path and will have to deal with the consequences. I realize they were trying to protect you, but how would you feel if the Marshals had done to you what your husband and your children did to them?" Jackson asked, before going to check the perimeter of the house.

Sarah sat down and let the tears flow freely. She looked at her children and couldn't help but wonder where it all went wrong. Seth had been right. This wasn't how she raised her children.

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The first day of the trial had finally come. Jinx, Brandi and Griffins were already at the courthouse with their details in a secure room. Stan had Mary and Marshall put vests on under their clothes. They would be carrying weapons in case help was needed, but were going to be sitting through the trial and not guarding or protecting anyone. Mary was too personally involved and Marshall would be hell bent on making sure Mary and her family stayed safe. It was why he set it up this way. Mary and Marshall would be sitting by Jinx and Brandi in the courtroom while the rest of them stood security in and outside the courtroom. Jackson's team was going to be surrounding the Griffins with a detail near them also. They were going to keep a Marshal with Lauren and Scott. The prosecutor was going to tell James his deal was withdrawn after he testifies. From there, they would decide what to do with Lauren and Scott.

Right now they were moving the families into one room including Mary and Marshall. Stan didn't want them out in the open any more than the rest of them.

"Stan, I do believe that we would be better off helping to secure the courtroom. Keeping us in the room with my family and the Griffins isn't the best use of our skills" Mary said, while Marshall nodded in agreement.

"No, the two of you aren't going to be ripe for the picking out there. You can use your skills to keep things civil between both families" Stan replied, looking pointedly at Marshall.

"Would you like world peace while you're at it? I'd rather take my chances with Rojas. Seriously Stan, Rojas is probably safer than dealing with Jinx and Griffins" Mary replied.

"You can complain and whine as much as you want; I'm not changing my mind. You're lucky I'm letting you stay armed and trusting you not to shoot any of them" Stan said, opening the door to the room that currently was occupied by Jinx and Brandi. "The Griffins will be here shortly. Play nice, Mary."

"Why is it I get the lecture on playing nice and you get nothing?" Mary asked Marshall.

"I'm the good one. Stan knows I play nice" Marshall replied with a smirk. Mary didn't get a chance to respond before Jinx and Brandi came over to her.

"Mary, how long do we have to stay trapped in this room and when can I see my husband?" Jinx asked.

"We're in here until the trial is about to start and then both families will be escorted into the courtroom. You will not be able to speak to James until the trial is over. They have reassured me that we will all get a chance to speak with him."

Brandi had noticed she stopped calling him Dad. There was a lot that her and her Mom didn't know.

"What happened? What aren't you telling us?" Brandi asked.

"It will come out soon enough. Right now, I need you two to promise me no drama when the Griffins arrive. We don't need any more problems then we have with the cartels" Mary warned.

"I thought there was just one" Brandi replied.

"We discovered James was playing in between two cartels. It's complicated and will all come out in this trial. You're going to learn a lot more about James in this trial then you really care to know" Marshall said, figuring they should be aware of that fact.

"I thought he had a plea deal" Jinx replied.

"That deal is null and void. Long story and not something you need to know or worry about until this trial is over" Mary said, dealing with Jinx and Brandi she didn't notice the Griffins come in.

"James is my husband. I have a right to talk to him," Jinx insisted.

"He's my husband," Sarah said, jumping into the conversation.

"Ladies, we are not going to start a fight in this room. There is enough danger going on and no matter how much either side dislikes the other at the moment, it's not going to happen. Do I make myself clear?" Marshall replied, firmly knowing how quickly things could get ugly.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked.

"U.S Marshal Marshall Mann. One of the people James Shannon or Griffin, depending on his mood, set up to be killed instead of your son Scott there."

Sarah looked at him and had a feeling the lanky man was more dangerous than he appeared.

"I'm sorry, but he's still my husband," Sarah replied, covering her arms over her chest.

"I realize that you're hurting also, but legally you're both married to him and if you want to get technical since he never divorced Jinx that would make him her husband and a bigamist. Your marriage wouldn't even be considered legal in terms of the law. I have no doubt that he cares about you since he went through so much trouble setting the rest of us up, but again we aren't going to get into petty disagreements here. Everyone has enough to be concerned about without either of the families acting like a bunch of spoiled kids. It won't be tolerated or whoever is doing it will be removed from the courthouse, put back into a safe house and not allowed to return. Are we all perfectly clear on this?" Marshall said, not in the mood for the drama pity party about to take place. Who knew how soon before Jinx would start.

Mary could tell Jinx was about to ignore Marshall. "Not a word. Marshall is right. If you can't have a civil conversation amongst each other then don't speak."

"We're all adults here, you don't have the right to tell us what to do," Lauren said, irritated.

"Actually we do. What happens in here can cause unwanted attention and that can bring a crap load of trouble down on us. You may not have cared if it was Jinx, Brandi, Marshall or I that they tried to kill, but I'm sure with your family's life on the line this time you might want to be more careful. All you are doing is jeopardizing the safety of everyone in this room. Is that clear enough for you?" Mary asked, heatedly.

It was enough to shut up both families and they took seats and didn't speak at all. Mary and Marshall were listening for the signal that they could move into the courtroom.

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Stan and Seth were with the group leading James into the building. Kyle and Grady were already in position inside the courthouse. They were checking the galley seats, jury box, and judge's desk to make sure there was no bomb or weapons planted in the courtroom. There were K9 units doing a search around the courthouse.

Somehow Grady couldn't shake the feeling they were missing something. There were so many ways to sneak something in or pose as someone that worked here. They ran the background checks on all the employees but nothingstood out. They still had two suspects for the leak and hadn't been able to determine which person it was.

"Is it me or do you get the feeling that something is going to happen?" Grady asked Kyle.

"My gut is screaming at me and I have yet to figure out why" Kyle replied.

"I have to agree with you there" Grady said, before they heard Stan in their ears.

"We're on our way up. Go ahead and bring up the families and secure the courthouse. We're bringing him up via option two."

"We're on our way up" Marshall replied, to Stan.

"Courtroom was clear. Checked under everything," Kyle said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Alright, we're going to move out. If we tell you to do something then you need to follow our instructions without hesitation or argument. These people will stop at nothing to get us. Do you all understand?" Marshall asked, knowing it was an overkill of the instructions, but considering a few of the people with him he had to make sure it sunk in.

"We understand" Brandi replied. She wasn't use to seeing the business side of Marshall. She couldn't help but wonder how many people mistook his demeanor for him not having the skills to be a U.S. Marshal. She had been worried about Mary the first time she met Marshall. She couldn't imagine him having her back or why Mary trusted him without a moment's hesitation. The years had shown to her how loyal he was to her sister. This was just another one of those examples. Yes her Dad dragged him into this, but Brandi knew he would've been here anyways.

They moved through the hallway and entered the room through the judge's chambers. Mary saw the prosecutor and Vic Rojas sitting at the defendant's table, but chose to ignore him for now. Her eyes were scoping out the room for any potential threat. She noticed Grady and Kyle in the back by the entrance to the courtroom. She also noticed the way they both had a hand on their guns. She wasn't sure if it was just the way they worked or if something was up. She would need to ask Marshall. They had seated themselves behind the prosecutor and Mary leaned over to Marshall.

"What's with your brothers?"

"They sense something is wrong, but haven't found anything" Marshall replied, knowing what Mary was talking about. He was grateful for the time his Dad had called them out on it. It at least verified he wasn't the only one with that feeling.

"What could they have missed?" Mary whispered.

"I don't know. They did a sweep of the courtroom and under all the seats and the judge's bench. No guns were found stashed in any of the garbage cans, janitor's closet or bathroom. The dogs didn't sniff out any explosives" Marshall replied. His eyes were sweeping the room trying to figure out what he hadn't thought of in his plan.

Mary watched the way his eyes went over the room. She knew he was trying to figure out something that he could've missed. The question was what it was. Marshall was damn thorough at his assessments. She knew he would figure it out, but it was just a matter of when. She knew full well that everything was checked and guarded from the moment this morning started. They weren't allowed to arrive until just before Kyle and Grady checked the courtroom.

"You'll figure out what is bothering you. Just give it a few minutes. If Rojas is preparing to strike, he'll wait until James is brought in" Mary said, hoping to relieve some of the stress lines she could see forming on Marshall's face.

Marshall nodded in understanding, but continued to look around the room. As he was doing another sweep they heard the all rise.

"Please be seated," he heard the bailiff say.

The judge went through her procedures before finally turning towards the prosecutor.

"Opening arguments, counselor."

The prosecutor stood up and began her listing of the crimes against Vic Rojas and how the evidence would prove him guilty. Marshall tuned it all out and began to go over the room again. Every piece of furniture, person, and places of attacks that he could think of he accounted for. He made a mental note of each one as he began to continue to try and figure out what he hadn't included. He was half way through the room when the defense finished their closing arguments.

"The state would like to call James Shannon/James Griffin to the stand," the prosecutor said, as the doors to the judge's chambers opened and James was led in by Stan and Seth.

Mary heard Jinx gasp at the sight of her husband. Brandi stared at the man who she had only ever seen in photographs.

"Is that really him?" Brandi whispered to Mary.

"Yes" Mary said softly. She was sill struggling with the man she waited for every day to come home and the man who used them as bait.

Her mind began to drift back to the past.

_She had been waiting since she got home from school to see if this was the day Daddy would come home. Her father had promised that they would go out and do something fun. She loved when Daddy took her away to do fun things. It got her away from her Mom when she was angry or drunk. She was already mad at Daddy for not being here again today. _

"_Mary, get away from the window and go check on your sister" her Mom called out. _

_Mary rolled her eyes, but went to check on her baby sister. Walking into the baby's room, she stood on her tippy toes and looked in to see Brandi sleeping yet again with her thumb in the mouth. _

"_The baby is still sleeping" Mary informed her Mom. Just as she was about to head towards the window, the front door opened revealing her father. "Daddy!" Mary cried out running into his arm. _

_James held his arms out to sweep Mary up in his arms and twirl her around. _

"_Princess, how is my beautiful girl?" James asked. _

"_I'm great Daddy. I've been waiting by the window for you to come" Mary replied, before moving towards his ear. "Mommy is angry again." _

"_You and I will plan our escape tonight. Let me go see if I can make her happy and then tonight we'll go for a cruise and maybe even get an ice cream cone" James said._

"_Really, Daddy? You promise?" Mary asked, eyes beaming in delight. _

"_The stars and the moon, princess."_

Mary was brought back to the present by the slight touch of Marshall's hand on hers. She turned her eyes towards him.

"What?" Mary said softly.

"You looked like you were a million miles away. Wanted to make sure you're okay" Marshall whispered, not wanting to interrupt the trial.

"I'm okay" Mary replied.

Marshall was about to answer when something caught his attention. He noticed James start to smile and look at his watch.

"Something's up" Marshall said into his microphone.

"What do you see?" Mary asked.

"Look at your Dad. He keeps looking towards his watch while answering the questions. It's like he's waiting for something."

"We have all the exits covered. What does he think he's going to do?" Mary asked.

Marshall began to play out all the scenarios that he had covered. Calculating what was the factor he missed. His eyes began to go over the courtroom again. It was then that he saw the one thing he hadn't considered.

"Cause some kind of distraction. With what? What did I miss?" Marshall asked out loud before noticing the vents. "I didn't consider the damn vents," Marshall replied. He quickly raised his arm to his mouth. "Stan, the vents. Check the vents."

Stan wasn't even able to do anything when smoke started pouring out of the vents. Then all hell broke loose. The Marshals quickly moved in to get James and the families out of the court room as the room began to fill up with smoke. Mary and Marshall were headed towards the chamber door; Marshall heard something clanking and turned towards the vent to see something hit the end. When he recognized it he ran towards Mary.

"Mary, get down!"

Mary turned at Marshall's shout to see him coming straight at her right before she felt Marshall raminto her as an explosion went off. Before she could comprehend what was happening, everything went black.

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Stan and Seth had gotten James secured, guarded and on his way to the FBI building. They didn't want him near the prison isolated or not. They needed to keep him safe, but now that he was on his way to safety he needed to secure the families. It was as he was headed towards the room the families were in that he heard the explosion come from the courtroom. Stan felt his heart race increase as he moved swiftly towards the group in the hallway with the detail.

Stan saw the Griffins and ordered the detail to send them to a new location after a decoy group is sent out. He wanted everyone out of the building. Moving closer to the entrance from the courtroom Stan saw Brandi.

"Brandi, where's Mary and Marshall?" Stan asked,

"They were behind us," Brandi replied, unsure of what happened with everyone moving them forward and trying to get them out of the courthouse.

"Go with the detail" Stan ordered, before signaling to Seth that he was headed towards the courtroom.

"What's going on?" Seth demanded.

"Where are Grady and Kyle?"

"They went into the corridor to help with the chaos in the hallway. Where's Marshall?" Seth asked, realizing he hadn't seen his youngest son.

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Mary began to stir, but everything was blurry and her ears were ringing. She felt a weight on top of her, but couldn't clear her head enough to put everything together. She tried to turn her head; then realized there were arms covering it. There was something familiar about the arms and she knew that she should know who they belonged to. If she could only get her head to clear it would make things easier. She could feel heat coming from the right side of the room. Room, courtroom. Before she could put more together she heard someone yelling.

"Mary! Marshall!" Stan yelled, trying to find them. The courtroom was in flames from whatever exploded on the other side of the room and the smoke was getting thicker by the second.

"Stan," Mary croaked out in a weak voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Stan!"

"Mary, keep calling out" Stan shouted, then covered his mouth. The mixture of the smoke from the fire and the smoke bomb was making things difficult.

Mary took a deep breath to call out, but instead ended up inhaling the smoke and began to go into a coughing fit.

Stan heard Mary's coughing and realized they were relatively close. The pair had almost made it to the door. His greater concern was he hadn't heard Marshall say anything at all. Moving towards the coughing sound they finally found the pair. Marshall lay on top of Mary effectively pinning her to the ground. He wasn't moving.

"Alright Mary, Seth and I are here. I need you to stay still while we get Marshall off of you." Stan checked for a pulse on Marshall and was relieved to find one.

"I'll grab his arms and you grab his legs" Seth said.

They were about to lift Marshall off when they heard the sounds of feet moving towards them. Both men went to reach for their guns.

"Dad?" Grady called out.

"Over here. Hurry up. We need to get Mary and Marshall out of here" Seth ordered, and was relieved to see his sons appear.

"We'll get Mary, get Marshall out of here Dad," Kyle replied, seeing that Stan and his father already had Marshall.

Stan and Seth began to carry Marshall out of the room as Kyle and Grady helped Mary to her feet. They were at the door when Mary passed out on them.

"Do we have an ambulance?" Kyle asked, just seconds before they burst outside into the fresh air.

"Ambulance is waiting for us outside" Stan called out.

A group of Marshals and local LEO formed a protective circle around both Mary and Marshall while they were loaded onto stretchers and put into the ambulance. Stan and Seth both climbed in while the police escorted the ambulance to the hospital.

Grady and Kyle quickly commandeered one of the SUV's and sped off following the ambulance.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Seth watched as the paramedic worked on both Mary and Marshall. Neither really had a chance to assess the injuries that either had obtained from the blast.

Both Mary and Marshall were being given oxygen due to the amount of smoke they had inhaled. Neither one had come to at all on the ride to the hospital. As much as they wanted to ask the paramedic how the two were, they also didn't want to interfere with their care. They followed the stretchers as far in as the hospital would let them and then were informed they would be notified as soon as they knew anything.

Kyle and Grady rushed into the waiting room followed by the detail bringing Jinx and Brandi.

"How are they?" all four asked at once.

"We don't know anything yet" Stan replied. "Mary didn't regain consciousness on the way here and Marshall never was conscious."

"They're both going to be alright, aren't they?" Brandi asked, frightened for both her sister and her partner.

"We'll know as soon as the doctor does. In the meantime we might as well get as comfortable as possible" Stan replied.

"Kyle and Grady, I know you're worried about Marshall, but I would like you to go back to the courthouse and find out what the hell happened in there. I want the vents checked thoroughly for any sign of someone hiding out in there. It's the only explanation that could be. Marshall saw something. We won't know what until later. Stan and I want first hand accounts of what the fire department turns up and the crime scene team" Seth said.

"Call us the minute you hear anything" Grady ordered, as the two turned to leave.

Seth nodded in agreement, before settling in on a chair. He knew this wait would seem like forever. He also knew he should call his wife. The problem was Marshall wouldn't want her here while the risk was so high and Seth tended to agree. He looked towards Stan who was trying to keep Mary's family calm. They hadn't said anything yet, but their faces spoke volumes. An hour had passed before the silence in the room was broken.

"What shape was Mary in when you got to her?" Jinx asked unable to keep her voice from shaking. All she could think about was the last time Mary had been in a hospital and almost died.

"Mary seemed to be suffering from smoke inhalation more than anything else. We didn't really get a chance to look over the injuries. We needed to get them out of that room. Marshall shielded Mary with his own body. He probably took the brunt of the injuries" Stan said.

"He always looks out for Mary" Brandi said, forcing a weak smile on her face. Her sister would be devastated if anything happened to Marshall. It would be twice as bad as when he had been shot because this one was all on their father. He brought this disaster down on them.

Brandi was about to ask more about Marshall when the door opened revealing one of the doctor's.

"Family of Mary Shannon?"

"Yes, I'm her mother." Jinx replied, she could feel her hands trembling as she waited for the diagnosis.

"Your daughter was suffering from smoke inhalation. We've put her on oxygen to help with her respiratory functions. She also had a piece of wood embedded into her leg. We removed it, cauterized the wound and stitched it up. Considering what she went through she came out of this in really good shape. I heard someone shielded her from the blast. That person probably saved her from a lot worse injuries. Your daughter is being moved to a room. Once she gets settled in we'll have someone take you to her when she is settled" the doctor said.

"Doctor, two things. First, we're going to need a list of anyone that will be entering Inspector Shannon's room and secondly, you're going to want to put her partner in that same room if you expect Inspector Shannon to stay put. Her partner is the one who shielded her from the blast" Stan informed.

"Depending on his injuries, I'll make sure those arrangements are made. It won't be a problem unless her partner needs to stay in ICU. I'll make the staff aware" the doctor replied before leaving the room.

Seth began pacing again. The more time it took them to get to him with information on his son the more nervous he got. In some ways he knew it was a good thing. It at least meant he was still alive. The door opened again to reveal another doctor.

"Family of Marshall Mann?"

"Yes, we are" Seth replied.

"Mr. Mann is suffering from smoke inhalation. We're giving him oxygen. He also suffered from a blow to the head. We cleaned the wound out and stitched it up. We ran a CT scan and he has a concussion. We want to keep him here over night for observation. He did come to briefly while we were examining him. There was a piece of metal the imbedded itself into his shoulder and part of his vest. We removed the piece and stitched up the area. Mr. Mann also has some bruising and lacerations which I'm assuming are from debris when the explosion occurred. Overall, Mr. Mann was very lucky. Providing there are no other complications, he should make a full recovery," the doctor said.

"What about when he's released?" Seth asked.

"Make sure he gets plenty of rest. His body needs time to heal itself."

"Thank you, Doctor," Seth said.

"Your son is being moved to a room with his partner. I was told it was requested" the doctor said, double checking.

"That or you'll never be able to keep the two of them in their room" Stan replied.

"I'll have a nurse bring you to their room when he is settled" the doctor said, before turning to leave.

Stan let out the breath he hadn't even realized that he was holding. Mary and Marshall were going to give him an ulcer yet.


	7. Chapter 7

Grady and Kyle went back to the courthouse to find out what the latest information was. They wanted to gather as much as they could and get back to the hospital to check on Marshall and Mary. This whole case was nothing but trouble and they feared it wouldn't get any better. They were going to have to come up with a better plan for the trial. On their way into the courtroom they ran into the fire chief.

"Sir, what have you been able to find out so far?" Grady asked, showing him his badge.

"The grenade exploded early. It exploded before it got out of the vent. The two they found in the courtroom were lucky that you decided to use the judge's chamber to exit instead of the jury's entryway. They would have been killed for sure. The grenade explosion blew the vent cover off and we've been finding pieces all the way across the room."

"You're sure it was a grenade?" Kyle asked.

"We found the pin in the vent along with some wrappers and other provisions. Your man was hiding in the vent for a day at least. The crime scene investigators already took the evidence to the lab."

"Thank you" Grady said to the fire chief, before turning his attention back to Kyle. "They're going to have to move the trial."

"Yeah, but the question is where and are they going to start the process over? It was a good thing the jury got cleared out fast also. I want to rerun their names. We also need to know what Marshall saw that alerted him" Kyle replied.

"Let's get the rest of the information so we can get back to the hospital. You realize Dad's not going to tell Mom and we're all going to hear about it later" Grady said.

"I don't want her here either. This is not a place to be right now. It isn't safe. They're going to need to close the courtroom off to an even more limited group then before" Kyle replied, before they head to meet with the other marshals.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

A nurse came out to let Mary's family and Stan know that Mary was settled into the room. Stan and Seth led Mary's family towards the door before stopping them just outside of it.

"I'm going to let you sit with Mary for a few minutes, but then the security detail is taking you to a different safe house. Your things have already been moved. I don't want to keep you here any longer then necessary. We don't know what Marshall saw to realize something was happening and there are too many people that come in and out of a hospital for me to feel that you're secure here. Mary and Marshall will have a team outside of the room to protect them and Seth and I will guard them on the inside along with Grady and Kyle" Stan said, leaving no room to argue.

"We understand" Brandi replied, before taking Jinx inside to see Mary.

Mary was sleeping while they were there the five minutes that Stan had given them. He knocked and entered.

"Your detail is here. Time for you to go," Stan said.

"She hasn't woken up yet" Jinx argued.

"I'll make sure she calls you when she does."

"Can't they trace the phones?" Brandi asked.

"Not the ones we'll be using" Stan reassured.

"Mom, we need to go. Stan will take care of Mary and Marshall" Brandi said.

"I don't like this" Jinx replied, but headed for the door.

"Will you keep us posted on Marshall, also?" Brandi asked.

"If anything changes for either of them, we'll let you know" Stan replied, still amazed at times by the changes in the youngest of the Shannon women.

Stan watched the two leave before joining Seth back in the room. Seth was sitting in the seat staring at the spot that Marshall would be moved to.

"Marshall is a lot stronger than you realize. The two of them are headstrong and stubborn when they set their minds to it. They will both come out of this just fine" Stan said.

"The threat is still out there and we don't know what they're going to do with the trial" Seth replied.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Let's just wait to see what Mary, Marshall, Kyle and Grady have to say about everything. We'll put the pieces together and get through this trial."

Seth nodded and waited for Marshall to be brought in while casting glances at Mary. Stan watched this for about fifteen minutes before finally having to ask.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm trying to figure out what kind of man can bring children into this world and then set them up to die. I realize that my parenting skills were lacking where Marshall was concerned, but I would never do anything to harm him. I love my son. Hell, I love them all and just can't grasp why or how you could do that to anyone."

"The same way he walked out on us. Without a care about anyone but him" Mary's hoarse voice croaked from the bed.

"I didn't realize you were awake" Seth said, feeling bad for bringing it up in front of her.

"I know or you wouldn't have mentioned the moron that is my father. Don't worry about it, I've pretty much lost the delusion of him being the man I thought he was" Mary said, before her eyes started to shift around the room. Looking for the one person she would expect to see by her bed. "Where's Marshall?"

"What do you remember?" Stan asked.

Mary stopped to think. She remembered the smoke and leaving the room. Getting a warning before a body slammed into her.

"Stan, where is Marshall?" Mary demanded, getting worked up.

"Stop it Mary. Marshall is going to be brought in and put next to you. I know better than to keep the two of you separated when you're both injured" Stan replied.

"How bad?" Mary asked, unable to hide the fear.

Stan rattled off both of their injuries. He knew Mary wouldn't relax until she saw Marshall for her self. He decided to distract her by asking questions about what happened.

"Mary, what caught Marshall's attention?"

"Marshall was anxious sitting in the galley. He kept thinking he missed something," Mary started and proceeded to tell Stan about James and what he did to cause Marshall to become suspicious.

"Are you telling me that Rojas didn't set the smoke or the explosion in the vent?" Seth asked.

"I'm telling you that James was looking at his watch and waiting for something. I don't think Rojas was responsible for this incident. I want you to charge him Stan. I want James to be charged for hurting Marshall," Mary said, adamantly. The fact that he was her father didn't matter when it came to Marshall. James could hurt her, but he had no right hurting Marshall. No one was allowed to do that.

"If we find out that he's responsible, I guarantee you that I'll have him arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law for damn near killing both of you" Seth replied, heatedly.

Stan was about to add something when they wheeled Marshall into the room. All three were silently watching Marshall as they hooked him up to the monitors. Once they left, Seth moved over to Marshall, but made sure to sit on the side opposite of Mary so she could see him.

Stan put an arm on Mary's shoulder to stop her from moving. She had already started to move the blankets back and he knew where this was headed.

"Mary, I'll help you adjust your position in this bed so you can see Marshall from here. You are _not_ getting out of this bed to sit by him until the doctor says it's okay. You were injured too" Stan said, firmly.

"Stan, get me out of this damn bed so I can check on my partner" Mary hissed. She didn't like seeing the paleness of Marshall's face or the lack of movement. It wasn't Marshall.

"No" Stan used his commanding voice. "You are still on oxygen and need to keep it on for the time being. Don't even think about trying to get out of that bed. There will be two of us in this room at all times while you're both here. There will be no sneaking out of bed, no begging, whining, pleading or swearing your way out of it either. You want to help Marshall, then take care of yourself. If you don't he'll put your needs before his own. Do we have an understanding?"

Mary glared but knew Stan was right. If Marshall was concerned about her, he'd forget about himself. She hated sometimes that he felt the need to put everyone above himself.

"I hate you" Mary said, with no real meaning behind it.

"No, you hate the fact that I'm right. Now are you ready for me to adjust the bed or not?" Stan asked.

"Fine" Mary grumbled. "Stop right there." She was finally at a point where she could see Marshall better. Now no one had better get in the way of her vision. Someone had to watch his back while he was unconscious. "Where's my gun?"

"I have yours and Marshall's and will keep them until an appropriate time" Stan replied.

"How do we protect ourselves?" Mary asked, trying to make an argument.

"You don't. We do" Seth said, sternly.

"Besides, I need to be sure you won't shoot any of the staff. You don't play well with others and if you think they're doing something you don't like to Marshall you'll pull the gun. You did it once before" Stan lectured.

"They were causing him pain" Mary reminded.

"It was temporary and it was to help him in the long run. You just lay there and behave. If you don't I'll have Marshall moved to another room and handcuff you to the bed if necessary. We have enough to deal with. I don't need problems from the two of you" Stan warned.

"Who's causing problems?" Grady and Kyle asked entering the room.

"No one yet and we were making sure that Mary knows she won't be" Seth replied, amused at Stan's way of handling Mary. The one person Mary didn't want out of his sight was being used to get her to behave. "Just for the record, she's not allowed any weapons or out of the bed unless the doctor gives her the okay. We'll be trading off who sits with the two of them in here. What did you two find out?"

"How's Marshall?" Grady asked. He listed to the injuries and then filled them in on what they were able to find out.

Mary was pissed at the thought that James was responsible for this. She wanted to speak with him.

"Stan, we need to find out who would help James at the courthouse. We know it wasn't one of his kids" Mary said.

"What about the other cartel he was mixed up in? If he gets charged and goes to prison they will probably be concerned that he will testify against them to try and walk" Kyle replied.

"It might be one of his earlier associates. I know that one is still in prison, but there had to be more of them with the types of job they pulled off" Mary said, before a small coughing fit hit.

Stan poured her some water and let her drink.

"Do you know all their names?" Seth asked.

"No, but Jinx would."

"Alright, I'll have the detail with Jinx talk to her about his known associates. We'll look for any of the Mexican cartel members that may have been near the courthouse prior to the trial. The provisions would be one to two days worth. He or she was in the area before the trial. We need to get footage from the courthouse to see who may have gone and hid in the vent" Stan said.

"It was my fault, forgot the vents" Marshall said in a weak voice.

"Doofus, you're awake" Mary said, happily.

"Mare? You okay?"

"I'm fine, but you're not. For the record, it was not your fault. There were plenty of us in the planning and we all agreed that was the best plan. Not a single one of us thought about the vents. It's not on your shoulders, Marshall. We all missed them."

"James, looking at watch. Think he's responsible."

"Yes, genius we know. I told him so now that we have established that it's time for you to be quiet and start to let yourself heal. Everyone has their tasks established so you just heal over there" Mary said.

"Bossy…" Marshall replied, yawning.

"That's right. You do what I tell you until you're healed and we'll get along just fine" Mary said.

"You too or no deal" Marshall replied.

"Since when do I let myself be bossed around?"

"Promise or no deal. I'll do what I want."

Mary glared at Marshall, but knew he wouldn't do what was best for him.

"Fine, but only until the doctor releases me."

"You got the answer you want, now go to sleep son."

"Need to help" Marshall replied, before drifting off.

Seth checked the watch to make sure he knew when two hours had passed.

"Who is going to talk to James?" Seth asked.

"I will. I want to make sure that we have all of our information together. I'm also going to talk to the prosecutor and make sure he's aware of the charges that are going to be brought up against James" Stan replied, stepping out of the room when his cell rang. He returned back to the room a couple of seconds later. "The trial is being moved to the Scottsdale court house. I have units being put inside at all times and they are going over the courtroom with a fine tooth comb. The trial resumes tomorrow. The local police department is adding to the courthouse security. The dogs are going through the courthouse now."

"What time does it start and how soon can you get me discharged?" Mary asked.

"I will pick you up in the morning before the trial. Seth, I want you to stay here with Marshall. He needs to stay. Kyle or Grady one of you will stick to Mary like glue. Her leg injury will slow her down. I'm going to go have a word with your father now. Due to the circumstances he's not only being separated from the criminals, he won't be allowed visitors or phone calls unless authorized by the Marshal Service. We don't want him reaching out to more friends if at all possible. I will see you later" Stan said.

The room went silent after Stan left. All eyes were focused on Marshall. His brief stint at being awake had caused a lot of the tension to be released. Mary observed Seth as he played protector over his youngest.

"Ask whatever it is that's bothering you?" Seth said to Mary, after his oldest boys left to grab something to eat.

"Why don't you show this side of you to Marshall when he's awake? I know that you care about him. It shows in everything you do when he's not able to notice it. You have a wonderful son, but build walls to keep him out. Don't get me wrong I give you a lot of credit for being in your boys' lives, but don't get why you have such a hard time with Marshall. He's the easiest person in the world to get along with" Mary said, knowing it wasn't something she probably be asking, but with the things her father had done she didn't want to see Seth miss out on an opportunity to know Marshall.

Seth debated about telling Mary where to go and that it was none of her business, but he had a feeling that all of this stuff going on with her father was making her question a lot of things. If not for himself then for Marshall he would answer the question. He knew his son would if it meant giving Mary one less thing to concern herself with.

"I don't get Marshall. We were closer when he was younger, but I don't relate to the soft side of him. That is his mother coming out. I love my son and should show it more. Time is a precious gift" Seth replied, unconsciously reaching out and squeezing Marshall's hand. "What are you trying to figure out over there Mary?"

Mary bit her lower lip. What was she fishing for? She knew the answer and apparently so did Seth.

"If you hadn't had Kyle and Grady would you have walked out on Marshall? If you did how would you explain it to him?"

"No, I wouldn't have walked out on Marshall. He's still my son. My flesh and blood and I love him. If I had ever been foolish enough to walk away from Marshall, I wouldn't even no how to explain it at all. A man has a responsibility to his family. I would hope that I would be strong and smart enough to tell him the truth. The fault was mine and not his. A child can't be responsible for the actions of a parent. It's not the child's fault. There is no action or anything that the child can do that would justify the parent walking away from them. The fault is solely with the parent."

"Good. I'd hate to have to hurt you, but I would if you hurt Marshall. Seth, I know it's not my place or my business to interfere, but you and Marshall are not getting any younger and if you don't take the time to get to know him then you both will have regrets in the end. I know you love your sons, but figure out a way to tell Marshall. He deserves it."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll work on my relationship with Marshall and you work on your feelings about your father. It's obvious the man scarred you, but you don't have to let his mistakes ruin your life. You're a damn good Marshal with good instincts. I saw that for myself. Use those instincts to help you make better choices in your personal life. I'm not asking for an overnight change. You have a lot to work through. Talk to someone about it and open your eyes to what's in front of you. Somehow I get the feeling that you don't have the feeling that you'll find happiness, it's staring you straight in the face, but you have to be willing to open your eyes and see it. Mary, I can tell you have a hard time believing this, but you do deserve to have happiness. Don't let your father's mistakes mar your furture. I'm done with my preaching now," Seth said, trying to lighten up the conversation a little. This was both an out of character and abnormal conversation for him to have with anyone, but especially with Mary. He usually preferred to keep his nose out other peoples business unless they were breaking the law, but Mary needed guidance and if he could nudge her in a direction to help herself then he would for both her and Marshall's sake.

Mary looked over at Marshall and then to his father. Seth wasn't much for words, but seemed to make them count when he spoke. She wasn't sure she liked the bargain because it meant a lot of soul searching and touchy feely for her and she hated that, but if it meant a chance for Marshall and his Dad to heal she would make the deal. Seth did touchy feely about as well as she did, so she knew that it wouldn't be easy for him either.

"Fine, I'll accept your deal but it will be null and void if you break your end and I will know if you did," Mary replied.

"Fair enough," Seth said, realizing that he was still holding Marshall's hand. They hadn't done that since Marshall was a child. Funny how these things come back in the worst of times. He and Mary both had a long way to go at fixing things, but it would definitely be worth it for both of them.

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Stan entered the interrogation room to see a disgruntled James Shannon sitting at the table. He took a deep breath to calm down before talking to the man. The fact that he put Mary and Marshall in the hospital infuriated him.

"Who did you hire to cause the commotion at the courthouse and what did you expect to gain from it? " Stan demanded. He wasn't in the mood for pleasantries either.

"You ruined everything. What tipped you off?" James asked.

"My people are good at what they do. Who did you hire and what were you trying to gain?"

"An acquaintance of mine, because if it worked then my family wouldn't be brought in to hear everything" James said. "No harm done."

"Don't you _dare_ give me no harm done. I have two Marshals in the hospital that could've been killed because of your stunt. I want the name of the acquaintance."

"What do I get for that?"

"How many deals do you think you're going to get from this? You're family is being informed of everything as we speak. You won't have anymore secrets. Those secrets are coming out and you can't stop that from happening. Do you honestly believe that you can hide who you are forever? The Griffins are here and ther's no turning the clock back to make that change. They know that you set your original family up to die so you could have the life you wanted. What happens if that life were to fall apart. Do you honestly think they would trust you not to set them up also? You're nothing but a man who puts his needs in front of others and doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. Now, who is the name of your associate?"

"Find out yourself."

"I will. I guarantee you that I will and so will the prosecutor."

James had a feeling that Stan McQueen would. All the secrets and lies will have been for nothing and he would be alone in this world once his wife learned the truth. All he wanted to do was protect the life that meant the most to him. Mary had been his princess and he still loved her in his own way, but they could never go back to being a family. She could be happy if she let herself. If he were to be honest with himself he knew that most of the problem stemmed from his walking out on her and stringing false hope with the letters he sent her. The problem was he couldn't regret it. He was free from the drama of Jinx and the burden of family responsibility. He never thought he would want that responsibility again until he met Sarah. She had been what he needed and now he was going to lose her. He blamed Mary and her friends for that. He was hoping to keep them distracted with the cartel going after Mary and Marshall at the least. It would have kept them busy long enough for him and his family to leave the country.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Marshall were both sleeping. Seth stared at the two and shook his head. A part of him wanted to bash their heads together to get them to admit they loved and needed the other. Marshall he knew had figured it out, but was scared to tell Mary and Mary was hiding behind years of strongly built protective walls. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft moan escaping Marshall's lips.

"Son" Seth said softly, hoping to get a reply as Marshall's eyes fluttered.

"Dad?"

"That's right. Open your eyes Marshall. You can do it."

Marshall wanted to say no that it took to much effort, but he knew better than to talk back to his Dad. He struggled for awhile before finally getting them to open.

"Mare?" he asked.

"She's fine. Finally fell asleep. You kept her safe Marshall. How are you feeling?" Seth asked.

"Head hurts. I'm okay though."

"Your head should hurt currently. You're not okay either, but you will be" Seth said, noticing Marshall trying to look to where he pointed Mary was. "Do you want me to sit you up for a little bit?"

Marshall was about to nod, but decided against it. He had a bad enough headache at the moment. Once his Dad adjusted his bed, Marshall could finally see Mary. He trusted his Dad to tell them him the truth, but really needed to see for himself.

"What are they going to do about the trial?" Marshall asked, focusing back on his Dad and missing the fact that Mary had just woken up.

"Trial resumes tomorrow. Stan and your brothers are taking me, while you and your Dad stay here" Mary replied, happy to see Marshall was awake.

"I'm your partner. I go where you go" Marshall said, adamantly.

"Not this time. Doctor's orders are for you to stay here. We all agree with him" Mary replied, just as adamantly as Marshall.

"I can release myself out of here," Marshall reminded.

"No, you won't. Son, you took a hell of a hit to your head along with everything else. You will stay in this room or I will handcuff you to the bed if necessary. You are still my son and while an adult don't think I won't make you do what is best for your health" Seth replied, sternly.

"Now that we have that settled, we can fill you in on the rest" Mary smirked, telling Marshall what they knew so far.

"Stan went to see who your father hired?"

"Yes, I did. To no avail. He won't give that information up. We're running known associates right now. Jinx gave us a list of names and so did Sarah. How are you feeling Marshall?" Stan asked, grabbing a seat between Mary and Marshall but making sure not to block their view of each other.

"Maybe it's time to have another chat with dear old Dad" Mary said.

"You won't get in to see him. They're prepping him for trial. I sent Marshall's brothers to oversee the sweep of the courtroom and they're making sure every section of that courthouse is safe. We're not having a repeat of today again. The judge has ordered a closed hearing. He will allow the families to be present of course. When your Dad is done then you can have a nice chat with him but until then you're going to have to wait. Once the evidence is collected and we can pin the courthouse bombing on your father then he'll be charged with that" Stan replied.

Mary nodded. She knew a confrontation was going to happen and that it would be less than pleasant but he had a lifetime of questions to answer. That confrontation was getting closer everyday and she wasn't sure that she was prepared to hear the answers. It would be a rough time ahead for all of them. The Griffins would have a lot to deal with, but she couldn't muster the strength to worry about them. James owed them answers, but first he had to explain a lot to Brandi and her. Jinx, she actually understood the reason for his leaving her, but he could've divorced her and given her and ending.

"When can you get us out of here for the trial?" Marshall asked.

"We already had this discussion. You are not going to this trial. You are going to be staying in the hospital where you belong. Marshall, you have a concussion and need time to heal. You're not going because you wouldn't be doing anyone any good. The only thing you will be doing is hurting yourself. I won't let that happen. Stan and your brothers will have my back. I promise that everything will be okay."

"I'm your partner" Marshall insisted.

"If you want to remain so then you'll stay here and recover while your brothers and Stan watch over Mary" Seth replied.

"I'm not a kid that you can boss around any more" Marshall said frustrated.

"You're my son and the day I stop telling you what to do, when you refuse to use that brain of yours, is the day I die. Do I make myself clear?" Seth asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Marshall, it's for your own good. I would order you to stay anyways. I wouldn't risk your health or anyone elses. Mary is only being allowed to go because you blocked her from getting any major injuries other than her leg. It will slow her down, but not impede her. If her injuries were any worse, she'd be staying behind to" Stan said.

Marshall knew that wasn't true. If Mary put up an argument Stan would cave like usual. He was angry, so he did the only thing that he could do to express it. He turned away from Mary and Stan and shut his eyes to ignore his father.

"Marshall" Mary said, knowing full well what that gesture meant.

Marshall ignored her. He wasn't in for the lame excuses or double standards.

"Marshall, stop pretending you can't hear me. I know you're hearing is perfectly in tact" Mary said, heatedly.

Seth shook his head trying to get Mary to stop. He knew full well Marshall would just withdraw further within himself. He just needed time to work through it.

Mary glared at Seth. He wasn't her father and even if he was she still wouldn't be listening to him. She knew full well that he would withdraw if she kept it up, but she had enough issues to deal with already. She didn't need a fight with Marshall to boot, but she also knew that when he was injured and hurt there were times that she couldn't get through to him. He had a stubborn streak that most people would never think possible. Sighing she leaned back against the pillow. Stan pattered her hand and the room went into an uncomfortable silence until both Mary and Marshall were asleep.

"Having kids is never easy" Seth whispered to Stan.

"Somehow I don't recall signing up for children" Stan replied.

"Yet you found yourself with two. I know they are your surrogate children and I'm glad for both their sakes. While I may have never walked out on Marshall, I wasn't the father he needed. You understand him more than I ever have."

"You still can with Marshall. Mary's father won't ever be back in her life again. This was his last chance and he blew it. Selling her out; she could have survived that. The fact that he sold out her mother and her sister were bad enough, but to sell out Marshall on top of that is a crime all by itself in her book. I understand Marshall's need to be there. He's her protector. To not be there is to take away his role and if something were to happen to her again while he wasn't around would devastate him."

"Two parts of a whole. Take one part away and the other is lost" Seth said.

"They'll work it out. Marshall may be a little less friendly for awhile, but he won't hang on to it for long. He's hurt and hurting, plus add the medication and you have a stubborn, hurt and angry Marshall. He knows he's injured, but when the trial is over he will want to be there for Mary. She'll need him even if she doesn't want to admit it."

"The trial is only the beginning for her and the family" Seth said, knowing all of the wounds of the past would be reopened for Mary and her family and that it would happen a second time when James goes on trial for his crimes.

"Unfortunately, yes. There is a rough road ahead for everyone. We'll get through it though with a few more scars, but maybe a few revelations along the way. Mary needs the closure and Marshall needs to help Mary."

"James Shannon is one sick bastard. How did he do this to two families? How do you walk away from your own children and leave them in the hands of an alcoholic?"

With Seth's question the room once again fell silent.

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The next morning Stan came in to pick Mary up for the trial. Seth had stepped out to get a coffee. Marshall still wasn't talking and refused to face them.

"You ready to go?" Stan asked Mary.

"Give us a few minutes" Mary replied, waiting for Stan to leave the room. She moved over next to Marshall's bed and when he tried to turn away from her again she stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

"I know you're hurt and upset. I know the medications are messing with the brilliant mind of yours. Marshall, you have a concussion and were unconscious from smoke inhalation. You had my back like always. Your brothers made sure every part of that courthouse is safe. You need me to be safe and I need you to be safe. This is what you need to do to be okay. I promise you that I will be safe. I'll let you know if I talk to my Dad. You need to promise me that you'll listen to the doctor and do what he says. I need you Marshall and I'm really going to need you when this is over. The fact that I'm admitting it to you should tell you a lot about how bad I expect this to go" Mary said sincerely. "Marshall, don't shut me out. I promise if you don't then I will make sure that I don't shut you out when I talk to my Dad. You might have to remind me of that because we both know that I will probably muck it up along the way."

Marshall was trying to stay mad, but it he sucked at it especially when Mary was admitting to things she never does.

"You promise?" Marshall said, softly.

"I promise" Mary replied, squeezing Marshall's hand.

"Come back afterwards?"

"Of course. There is no where else I would want to be then by your side. With any luck we can spring you out of here before dinner. Otherwise, I'll see if I can sneak you in some pie."

"Not apple" Marshall murmured.

"Not apple. I'm sure you got sick of that with my apple pie fetish. Marshall, you know that I want you by my side, but I want you healthy more than anything else. You got hurt trying to protect me twice, but now I need you to take care of you. There will be plenty of times in the near future for you to be there for me. I'll need it more than I even am willing to admit."

"Be careful Mare, listen to what Stan and my brothers tell you to do. I know you don't like orders, but I need you to be safe."

Mary couldn't help but smirk at that. Marshall would always be her own knight. Although he was really her tall lanky badass cowboy and she'd take that any day compared to a knight in shining armor. Leaning in she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I'll see you later, Doofus. Take care of yourself and don't give your Dad a hard time. He cares about you even if he sucks at showing it."

"I will. We'll talk about your day when you get back" Marshall replied.

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Mary entered the courtroom with Kyle on her left and Stan on her right. She noticed that Jinx and Brandi were already seated in the second row with a detail around them and the Griffins in the front row with a Marshal on one side and Jackson on the other. Mary moved into the row with Brandi and Jinx in it.

"Where's Marshall?" Brandi asked.

"Still in the hospital. He'll be okay" Mary said.

The judge came in before Mary and Brandi could say anything else. James was called to the witness stand and began his testimony. Mary watched the proceedings and the reaction of Sarah Griffin. She was the only one who would be in shock by all of this. Mary knew that unlike her family the Griffins didn't know this man. He had kept his past hidden for as long as he possibly could.

Mary listened as her father continued to talk about the crimes that he had helped the Rojas cartel commit. It never ceased to amaze her how much her father had gotten himself into. The barrier between the man her younger self knew and the man he had become were completely gone. As she continued to hear the words he said the more she realized just how big of an illusion she had created about who she saw him as. Yes, a part of her would always love the man she had know when she was a child, but she would never forgive the man he had become.

The prosecution continued to question her father for the remainder of the day. The judge called for a continuation until tomorrow.

"Mary, we'll go from here to the hospital. We'll move your family to another safehouse and keep full time security around the courthouse. Your father's testimony will end tomorrow and he'll be brought back to the federal prison. You and your family will be able to talk to him the following day" Stan said.

"Marshall's probably getting antsy. The sooner we get back to him the better" Mary replied after watching Sarah's shocked face as she was escorted from the courtroom.

Stan watched Mary as her eyes followed Sarah.

"She's a victim here too, you know. Her two kids were involved, but overall they didn't have a clue to all that he had done and what he was capable of doing. It isn't her fault your father walked out on you and started a new family."

"I know that. Doesn't mean that I want to know them, but I know that I don't blame her for this. Not so sympathetic with the two eldest children. Right now, I just want to see my partner."

"Let's go" Stan replied.

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Seth had been sitting with Marshall waiting for word on the trial. He hadn't said much at all.

"For a boy who used to be hard to keep quiet, you seem to be making up for lost time."

Marshall looked to his Dad. "I'm sorry. Lost in thought."

"Want to share with your old man?" Seth asked, hoping to get Marshall to open up. "I know that we don't talk and that I haven't really listened to you when you have. It's late but I would like to try."

"Why now?"

"Maybe I'm finally older and wiser. I shouldn't have caused so much distance between us."

"I'm just worried about Mary. She's dealing with a lot right now. She needs me to be there and not stuck in the hospital."

"You were there for Mary. You protected her when the grenade exploded which is why you're in the hospital. The doctor is talking about releasing you soon. You can be by her side when you're out. You know that. Once and awhile Marshall, you need to put yourself first. With you everyone else comes first. At some point you need to look out for you."

"Dad, I'm fine."

"Well your version of fine sucks. I know that your first instinct is to protect people and that is highly commendable, but son it doesn't mean that you should neglect yourself or your needs."

"I don't neglect myself, Dad."

"Don't you?"

"No I don't, Dad" Marshall replied.

Seth sighed. "You do. I don't mean that you ignore your basic needs, but your emotional needs and what you want those you shove somewhere deep inside of you. You deny yourself the chance for the happiness that you try so hard to make sure that other get."

Marshall didn't know how to reply to that and was grateful they were interrupted by Stan and Mary coming into the room.

"How'd it go?" Marshall asked.

"Typical Shannon family fashion. He admitted to all the crimes that he helped the Rojas with. No shock for us. Not so sure about the Griffins though. I think when he admitted to setting all of us up to die in order to protect his family that Sarah Griffin finally realized that everything we told her was true. Somehow I think she was expecting this to all be a misunderstanding."

"Can you blame her? James was good at keeping them out of the loop," Marshall replied while shooting a glance at his Dad.

"Stan and I are going to get a cup of coffee. We'll be right back" Seth said, knowing Marshall wanted to talk to Mary.

Marshall waited until they walked out.

"How are you really?"

"I'm doing fine for now. I knew what he was going to say. There was no shock factor for me. Actually, I feel a little bad for Sarah Griffin. She wasn't prepared for that neither was the youngest daughter. Tomorrow will be rough. Stan figures the day after that we'll be able to talk to James."

"How does that make you feel?"

"He's not the man I remember Marshall. I don't know what to think right now. When do you get out of this place?" Mary asked, wanting to change the conversation.

"I get another scan and depending on the results I can leave. I'll be back in the courthouse with you tomorrow."

"Maybe you should stay at the safehouse to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm not sitting on the sidelines while this plays out. It's not like Stan is going to let me be an active part of protection detail. I'll just be sitting by your side."

"Fine, but there will be no getting injured or playing hero if anything happens."

"I promise to try not to get hurt. You can at least offer me the same courtesy."

"Fine, Doofus. I promise not to get hurt either."

"Good, we're in agreement" Marshall said, before the nurse came in.

"Time for your scan."

Mary walked with Marshall and waited for them to do the scan. When they were done Marshall was brought back to the room where they waited for the doctor to annouce the prognosis. Stan and Seth appeared a few seconds before the doctor did.

"What's the verdict, doc?" Mary asked.

"His scan looks good, so he can go home. I won't clear him for active duty at the moment. His body still needs time to heal" the doctor replied.

"How long before active duty?" Marshall asked.

"Give it a week to let you other injuries heal completely. He is free to go. I'll have the discharge papers available shortly."

"Thank you, Doctor," Seth said.

"Where are Grady and Kyle?" Marshall asked.

"They're staying with the group at the courthouse. We have twenty-four hour security on the place" Stan replied.

"Can you guys give me a few minutes to change so that we can get out of here when the discharge papers arrive?" Marshall asked.

"We'll be right outside" Stan replied, ushering Mary and Seth into the hallway.

"So back to the safe house for the night? Mary asked.

"A different one. I'm not taking any chances. We've moved the gear to another house. All the family members are being relocated daily as extra precaution. We still haven't found the leak" Stan said.

"At this point, I'm assuming that Rojas knows it's to late to stop his son from going to prison" Seth replied.

"Doesn't mean he won't go for revenge. While the truth about his loyalties came out today, that doesn't mean the word passed fast enough to stop someone from trying anything. He might go after both families just to prove a point. The defense will probably challenge his character to say that he's interested in his own self preservation" Stan said.

"Well, that shouldn't take too long," Mary muttered. "The better question is does this end here. There's still the Mexico cartel he's dealt with."

"I have a feeling your family will be fine. The Griffins are going to be the ones looking over the shoulders for the rest of their life. James made his choice and while crude and cruel; in the long run it might have been the best thing for your family. I don't mean to be cruel here Mary, but it showed who he would go to great lengths to protect," Seth said, not meaning to open the wound further.

"It's not cruel for you to say Seth. It's the truth about what James chose" Mary replied.

They were interuppted as Marshall called them back in the room.

"You ready to go?" Mary asked.

"Most definitely" Marshall replied as a nurse entered the room with a wheelchair.


	8. Chapter 8

James Shannon paced his cell. He hadn't missed the look on Sarah's and Melissa's face as they left the courtroom. Tomorrow would be worse. His character and testimony would be in question and the more truths that came out the more horrified his wife and children would become. He was infuriated at the Marshal Service since they denied him the right to visitors or phone calls. It was their fault that he couldn't make another attempt to disrupt the trial.

He had thought about taking his own life to spare his wife and children, but that could also backfire and do more damage than good. Both cartels would know to chase after Sarah and the kids and even if he was dead they could use them to send a message to others about not double crossing their bosses. Nothing he could say at the trial would undo the past or stop the damage. He'd set the plan in motion and it came back to bite him in the ass. He wanted to think of a way to fix this; but he knew it would be futile. The family he cherished was now in danger and he would never see them again. He was sure that Stan McQueen wanted the prosecutor to charge him for the stunt at the courthouse and that would take away his plea bargain. He wasn't stupid enough to believe they'd set him free now.

James couldn't help but wonder if Sarah would speak to him. He needed a chance to explain to her why he did what he did. She has to understand that it was to protect them. The bigger question is would she be willing to listen. He knew his first family wanted to talk to him. They wanted answers to the questions that had burned inside of them for years. He had no remorse for leaving Jinx. She drank their marriage away while he gambled it away. They were two people who never should have had children or married. Somehow that statement wouldn't sit well with Mary or Brandi. Mary had been the light in the storm when dealing with Jinx. He had loved her but not enough to stay. There had been a better life for him then the façade they had built in that house. He wouldn't call it a home. He couldn't not after he had shared a home with Sarah. They were two worlds apart and nothing would right either wrong.

A part of James wanted to refuse to see Jinx. He didn't need the drama queen and her theatrics in his life again. He already knew he couldn't refuse to see Mary. He had several indications from Stan and Marshall that they would make him see her. She was the one he messed with emotionally the most. He had to in order to accomplish his goals. His words would never bring comfort to her but she was tough and would make it.

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Mary and Marshall entered the safe house after Stan and Seth gave the all clear. They set the master bedroom up for Mary and he was told in no uncertain terms to go get some sleep. Mary followed him into the bedroom. She wasn't ready to have him out of her sights. She just needed to be near him to feel safe and to make sure he was safe. Once Marshall crawled into bed Mary followed. She listened as he breathing evened out. Placing her head on his chest she listened to the steady beat of is heart.

"I'm scared, Marshall. I feel like my whole life was a lie. I remember my Dad as some great hero that could make everything okay and that image is completely destroyed. I'm not sure what was real and what was the imagination of a desperate eight year old. I need you to be here for me; but I'm scared the disaster that is my family will hurt you. Hopefully, one day I can tell you this when you're actually awake. I'm just not ready for that tonight. I already know that you're going to get me to talk when this is all over and that scares me too. What if I alienate myself from you? Will you still see me the same way or will what James has done change your opinion of me? I should probably know better than to think you would ever run away, but I still can't shake that fear. Forgive me for that. I promise that I'll try harder to be better about it with you" Mary whispered softly, afraid to wake Marshall up.

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The next day found them all in the courtroom again. Marshall sat next to Mary with his gun and badge hidden from sight. Stan and his father would be pissed if they found out that he had them, but considering who they were dealing with he wasn't leaving anything to chance. It wasn't his fault Stan left his gun and badge on the counter for him to grab when they weren't paying attention.

The defense attorney stood up and Mary could feel herself tense. She knew what was coming and by the look on her father's face, so did he. The attorney began the interrogation that would put the nail in the coffin of James' plan to conceal his real identity from Sarah Griffin. Unconsciously, Mary reached over and grabbed Marshall's hand. She needed to hang onto her safety line to know that he would catch her if she started to fall. She couldn't remember a time in her life that she ever needed someone there for her as much as she needed Marshall at this moment.

Marshall let Mary control how much support she needed, but gave her hand a quick squeeze before the Defense Attorney started in on her father. Listening to her father admit to what he had done was a lot harder then she had imagined. It was one thing knowing it but it was a whole other thing to hear the words come out so casually. It somehow made it even more personal. His attitude towards the whole thing infuriated her and she felt herself tighten her grip on Marshall's hand.

Marshall was stealing glances at Mary and could tell she was angry. He also noticed that Sarah Griffin looked ready to be sick. He was beginning to wonder who was going to have a harder time adjusting to James Shannon's revelations. Mary at least had an idea of who her father was, but Sarah was taken completely by surprise. He couldn't imagine having to deal with the fact that one of your parents was willing to let you die in order to protect the family he put on a pedestal. Seth and he had their fair share of problems, but he had always known that his Dad would protect him and lived by a strong moral code. He squeezed Mary's hand again, wishing that he could heal all the wounds that James had inflicted on her. It wasn't fair or right.

Marshall was relieved when the judge called an end to the day after James was finished being cross examined. Tomorrow was going to be the roughest day of Mary's life. She was going to have to deal with all the emotions that she had locked up inside of her. He could only hope that she would let him in to help her deal with all of this.

Standing up they were getting ready to leave when Sarah Griffin turned to Mary.

"I'm sorry for all that he's done to you and your sister. That man on the stand is not the man I married. I don't know who he is" Sarah said, tears streaming down his face.

"James is whoever he needs to be, to suit his needs. If you were smart you'd cut all strings to him and never let him in again. He lost his deal the minute he set up the explosion in the courtroom. He's going to be in jail for a long time. Tell him what you need to and then start over and don't look back. He's already done enough damage to your lives. If you sit and wait for him, you'll only end up disappointed. Trust me, I know" Mary said, before heading out of the courtroom.

"Mare" Marshall said, grabbing her arm lightly and leading her into a spot they could have some privacy.

"Not here, Marshall. Please, let's just go to the safe house and we can talk. I won't shut you out, but I can't do this here with all these people around and you should be getting some rest. You're still not healed completely."

"Mare, I'm not worried about me."

"I know and that is an issue in itself. I'm worried about both of us" Mary replied, gently cupping the side of his face.

"I take it that you and I are going to be having a long talk when this is all over" Marshall replied.

"Yeah, we are. One long over due and necessary talk" Mary said, knowing it was time to confront her feelings once and for all. If she could deal with her father's betrayal she could start taking a closer look at what Marshall really meant to her.

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Seth and Stan had not been oblivious to the silence in the car ride or the fact that Mary had kept Marshall close to her. He was the only person she had left in the world that she trusted implicitly. She was going to hold on tight and in a lot of ways Stan was relieved. He had the feeling over the course of everything happening with her father, Mary had a few enlightments of her own. He just hoped he was right that one of them was about Marshall and not just as her best friend.

Entering the newest safe house, Stan and Seth both smirked as Mary dragged Marshall down to the bedroom with the insistence that he would be getting the rest his body needed. They also knew she knew they were watching and didn't care.

Mary ignored Stan and Seth's looks and closed the door behind them.

Marshall sat on the bed and waited for Mary to talk as she paced in front of him.

"Lay down" Mary ordered.

Marshall rose and eyebrow at the order.

"I'm serious. You just got out of the hospital after being injured a second time."

"You're still limping and if you want me to lie down then you have to also" Marshall replied.

Mary rolled her eyes, but complied. She knew full well that Marshall would be stubborn and refuse if she didn't. Once she lay back he finally followed suit.

"I'm proud of you, by the way" Marshall said, once he got himself situated.

"For what?"

"You could have blown Sarah off and let her swim in unchartered territory. Instead you took the high road and gave her some very sound advice. She's a victim also. Your father lied to her too."

"I wanted to hate her and them. I don't appreciate Lauren and Scott and don't think that I ever will, but Melissa and Sarah were innocent through the whole thing. Lauren and Scott, I don't want anything to do with them. I think that not seeing each other again is good for all involved. It gives everyone a fresh start."

"Safer for everyone involved for sure. The fact is that the Griffins are going to be kept far away for their own protection. You won't be seeing them again. Your family, after today's testimony should be safe. If things were different would you want to know them?"

"No. I just can't let go of the fact that he stayed in their lives knowing what we were going through. I know logically that it wasn't their fault. They didn't know about us, but it doesn't make it hurt less."

Marshall was impressed that she admitted that it hurt.

"Don't look at me like that, this isn't easy for me to admit and you know that. I think you're starting to rub off on me. If I get touchy feely, I'm going to shoot you myself out of principle alone."

"That's my girl."

"I'm exhausted and you have to be too. Can we just get some sleep?"

"Sure. Are you going to be able to sleep?"

"Yeah, I'm too tired not to."

"Good, you're going to need your sleep for tomorrow."

"Marshall…"

"You don't have to ask. I'll have your back. I always do. You're not going to go through this alone. I promise you that."

"Thanks. Now sleep."

"Bossy."

Stan didn't hear anything from the backroom for awhile and decided to check on his inspectors. When he opened the door and saw them both asleep he smiled and headed to bed himself. The one thing he was sure was that tomorrow would be an emotional rollercoaster ride for the Shannon women. Marshall would be the one to pull Mary through and he was eternally grateful that fate had them cross paths. He couldn't even begin to imagine Mary having to go through all of this alone.

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Mary woke up to an empty bed. She listened to see if the shower was running and when she didn't hear that she decided Marshall must be out in the kitchen. Getting up she quickly grabbed her clothes and took a shower. Once the steam on the mirror dissipated she stared at her reflection. She didn't see herself in the mirror. She didn't see anything but a reflection of a person that had let years of bitterness and anger define her. She recalled a time when she saw a smiling happy little girl who adored her father and knew how to freely love and trust. The years had made her jagged and she knew it. A part of her couldn't help but wonder who she would be after seeing her father for the last time in her life. He wasn't the man she had remembered and he could no longer be someone she respected. So lost in these thoughts, she never heard Marshall.

"What's brewing in that head of yours?"

"Who am I, Marshall?" Mary whispered.

Marshall's heart ached for Mary. He knew they were about to get into the worst parts of her demons that had been safely buried until now. He hoped James would have the decency to give Mary the closure she desperately needed. Marshall walked into the bathroom and stood behind her.

"You are Mary Shannon, survivor extraordinaire. You are a U.S. Marshal and hidden beneath a whole lot of walls a person with one of the biggest hearts I know. You care about people more than you want to admit. Yes, there is a part of you who is still the little girl whose father meant the world to her. A part of you will always love the man he was until he walked out the door. You've lost the illusion that he would come back and make things better. The adult in you knows that you are the one in charge of you life and the decisions you make need to be made because they are right for you. You are the best friend a person could have and I'm honored to know you. Your father isn't who you are, Mare. He's a part of you, but he isn't all of you. You made a life for yourself under hard circumstances. You came out a fighter and a stronger person because of it. He robbed you of your childhood. Don't let him take the rest of your life away. I want you to know that you should always walk tall and proud because you have nothing to be ashamed of. James is the one that should carry the shame. His wrong doings aren't yours. I'm proud to be able to call you my partner and best friend. Nothing your father did would ever change that. You are you. Don't let James cloud that. He was a fool for abandoning you. The best thing James ever did was help create the beautiful, strong and caring woman who is standing in front of me," Marshall replied, gently kissing the top of her head.

"I never understood what I did to deserve you in my life Marshall. I'm glad you're here."

"Always, but if you don't hurry up I'll be in the kitchen eating your share of bacon and eggs."

Mary smiled knowing Marshall was trying to cheer her up. When he started towards the door she stopped him.

"You'll come with me to the jail, right? I'm not sure I want you inside with him, but I need you there."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. Are you ready for breakfast now or am I eating your portions?"

Mary grabbed Marshall by his belt loop as he started to dash out of the bedroom.

"Oh no you don't. You know better than to try and come between me and my food," Mary said, as the two began to horseplay in the hallway trying to get to the kitchen first.

"Children, do we need to separate the two of you?" Stan asked, amused by their antics and knowing full well that Marshall was trying to keep Mary's mood lightened until they reached the prison.

"Are they always like this?" Seth asked, smiling at the laughter coming from his son and Mary.

"Only when it matters," Stan said.

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Mary and Marshall arrived at the prison. The car ride had been silent and Mary's shoulders were filled with tension. They entered the prison to see Jinx, Brandi and the Griffins all waiting to see James. Marshall didn't envy James at all in this situation.

Stan had arranged for Mary and her family to go first, so that they could head back to Albuquerque and back to their lives. There was plenty of work for his inspectors to do, although he wanted them both to take a few days off before returning to work. They were both still recovering from the injuries they sustained in the blast. The Griffins would be leaving to who knows where, as soon as they were done. It was time to put James Shannon in the past and let him stay there.

Mary had let Jinx and Brandi go first. She didn't want to deal with their dramatics. She wanted clear cut answers from her father and she wouldn't get them with Jinx carrying on. A half hour later Brandi and Jinx emerged with tears streaming down their faces.

"Mary, you're next" Stan said, softly.

Mary started to head down the hallway when she stopped and turned towards Marshall.

"Coming?"

Marshall was surprised by the request, but quickly moved to Mary's side.

"You sure you want me in there? I'll do whatever you want, you know that. I just want to make sure that you're certain."

"We always handle things better together. I just need to know you're there" Mary admitted, surprised by the fact she wasn't embarrassed to admit that she needed someone. A year ago that would have never happened.

Mary and Marshall entered the room. James looked tired and Marshall had a feeling it was from his encounter with Jinx and Brandi. The man was in for a long day and Marshall couldn't find it in himself to have any sympathy for him. Marshall leaned against the wall in the corner while Mary took a seat in front of her father.

"Princess, I see you brought your sidekick" James said, knowing he was adding fuel to the fire. He didn't care though, because of their investigation he was going to lose Sarah and the kids.

"Be glad, he's here to keep me from hurting you. Not that you don't deserve it, but after all of this you aren't worth going to prison for. I want answers from you and you're going to give them to me. When we're done in here you won't ever have to see me again. I'm actually going to insist on that, on the chance that you might live long enough to finish your jail terms."

"You blew my chance at early release," James replied.

"Actually, you did when you hired your old friend Jimmy to help you with the grenade in the courtroom," Mary said, watching her father's face go pale.

"You wanted to talk, so let's talk" James replied, knowing now they had the information to seal his fate in prison.

"I want to know why. Why did you leave Brandi and me with Jinx? You knew she was an alcoholic who couldn't take care of herself much less a baby and an eight year old. Why did you leave us with her?"

"I couldn't take care of you either. Running away after banking heists isn't exactly a great atmosphere for you or your sister. I don't regret the choice I made. It was the right one for the circumstances. I couldn't live with Jinx anymore. Her drinking and constant nagging was pushing me over the edge. I wanted my freedom and leaving all of you behind gave that to me."

"You caused her to drink. Your constant gambling with the money that was needed to buy food and pay bills started it. Then you were never home. Once and awhile you would come back, but only if you won. For the longest time I blamed Jinx for making you leave, but the last year I've done a lot of growing up and the truth is you were the reason she drank and continued to drink after you left. Yes, she made the choice to drink and continue, but do you even realize your part in it?"

"Mary, you need to face facts. Jinx and my relationship was over before it ever began. She was going to go off to do her dancing and I was going to go to college. Then she got knocked up with you and we decided to do the 'right thing' by getting married and raising you. Your mother chose the bottle to deal with the loss of her dream and I chose gambling to deal with mine. Brandi was an accident also. We both had a little too much to drink and the rest is history. I never planned on marrying your mother and having kids. It was by no means any part of the future I had planned for myself. For eight years we were nothing but miserable. I gave it what I had and then I did what was right for us."

"You did what was right for you. Don't sit here and lie to me about it. When you started your new life with your other family why didn't you come back for Brandi and me? You swore that you loved me. You wrote all those letters and kept sliding little hints that you would come back. I waited for you by the window. I always worried every damn time we moved that you wouldn't know where to find us. We never got to have a normal family. We didn't get to have family holidays. Brandi and I barely had friends because we were too ashamed to bring them home to find Jinx with her latest meal ticket. Where were you when we needed you? What kind of man turns his back on his own children?" Mary asked, no longer able to fight the tears that began to streak down her face.

"I was living my life. I finally found freedom to do what I wanted to do. I couldn't have children interfering with that. After I met Sarah that all changed. Sarah didn't know that I was married to Jinx and that I walked out on my two children. She wouldn't forgive me for doing something like that especially if she had found out I left both of you with an alcoholic. I had a good life and couldn't risk the chance of blowing it by bringing you and Brandi to our house. You would have ruined the life I built with Sarah and the kids. Things turned out okay for you."

"Seriously, things turned out okay? I had to raise my baby sister and Jinx. Brandi used and sold drugs with her boyfriend. Jinx sunk further and further into the bottle. Until two years ago, I was supporting both of them. The only person that things turned out okay for was you. Your promised me the moon and stars and all I got from you was years of heartache, betrayal and more responsibility than a child should have. I lost my childhood because of you. The saddest part is I never saw you for who you really were until recently. It's bad enough that you set us up to die, so that your other family could be safe, but you dragged Marshall into it. You don't give a damn about anyone other than yourself and what you want. It doesn't matter how many words you use to try and cover it up, your one very selfish bastard that I was a fool to believe was a decent human being."

"Mary, sweetie I did what I had to. I needed to protect my family."

"We were your family. You don't even count us as that anymore. I thought you had Lauren bug the house so you could make sure that I was doing okay. I thought it was you wanting to get closer to my life by doing something other than sending letters to let me know you were watching. You used your other family to set us up and because of that Lauren and Scott are also going to prison. Your way of protecting the family you want is going to cost those two. Are you proud of yourself? Why do they matter to you so much more than we did? I'm trying to understand the person that you became after you walked out on us and it doesn't add up at all."

"Lauren and Scott can't be punished. They were just helping me."

"They were helping you commit crimes and therefore are an accessory after the fact. Why do they matter more than us? What makes them so damn special? I want an answer."

"They are the ones who gave me a fresh start. Sarah and I built the perfect life around our children until my past caught up to me. I wasn't dealing with any major dramas with Sarah. We loved each other and had three children born from that love. It was more than I had ever shared with Jinx. The two lives I had with Jinx and Sarah are incomparable. I found happiness and a normal every day job that I wanted so that I could stay with Sarah and watch my children grow. I never stopped loving you or Brandi, but there was no future for us. With Lauren, Scott and Melissa there was a future. I could give my daughters away at their wedding and be the proud father that I am of who they are. I could give them the life I wasn't able to give you. As long as your mother thought I was dead and the F.B.I. didn't find me, I had it made. Rojas finding me made a mess of that. He knew I had a family and I knew that mine couldn't defend themselves against men like that. You're a U.S. Marshal who could protect her family and would have plenty of help. It's not like I could walk back in your life either. You would have to arrest me and we both know that. I watched you from afar and have been proud of you every step of the way. You made something of yourself despite all the odds against you. I'm proud of you."

"You're proud of me now? Last time you were disappointed. What's changed?"

"I'm disappointed that you gave my grandchild away and some of your personal choices have been less than desirable; but you still turned out pretty well. You and your partner, I've heard are one of the best teams in the Marshal Service. That says something."

"First of all, that child wouldn't have been your grandchild even if I had kept the baby. Unlike you and Jinx, I realized that I wasn't able to give the baby what he needed. Instead of putting that boy through the same crap you and Jinx did to me and Brandi, I gave him a shot at having a solid happy life. I didn't abandon the baby. I gave him a future and let the adoptive parents know that if he wanted to contact me later that I would be willing to explain my decisions. If he wants to know, then he deserves the truth. The truth being that I was still messed up from my father walking out of my life that I couldn't make good personal decisions. I've made bad choices and I'm learning to deal with them. I finally found someone that won't walk out on me and has shown me what it means to be cared for unconditionally. If it weren't for Marshall, I would have never experienced that. I feel sorry for you. You keep trying to justify your actions to us in hopes that somehow one of your families will understand why you did this. The problem is no one will. There isn't a reason good enough in this world for that. I meant what I said before I destroyed your bug. I don't need you anymore. I have my own family and they mean everything to me. You tried to take some of them away and I don't think I could ever forgive you for that. Goodbye, Daddy," Mary said, standing up and rushing towards the door. Marshall was quick to move after her.

"Mary. Mary, I need you to explain it to Sarah, Help her understand" James replied, as Mary started to turn the handle to leave.

"I needed you a long time ago, but you were never there. You dug yourself into this hole. You need to man up and deal with your actions and the consequences of them. Stay out of mine and Marshall's life" Mary said, before walking out the door.

Mary saw Stan when she walked out into the waiting room, but quickly moved towards the bathroom before he could ask anything. Marshall was behind her and she knew he was worried. Once they were out of view of everyone else Mary turned towards Marshall.

"I want to go home. I want to go home, now." Mary ordered.

"I'll get us a SUV. Tell me what else you need" Marshall replied.

"I need you to stay with me when we get home. I don't care if it's your house or mine. I just don't want to be near him anymore."

"Consider it done. I'm thinking my place might be better if you want to work things through without Jinx and Brandi confronting you."

"Sounds like a plan. Give me a few minutes and I'll be out."

"I'll be back for you in a few."

Mary nodded and entered the bathroom. The minute she was in she locked the door and slid down the wall and cried for all that she lost. The dreams, memories and everything else she had built on a father that never really existed accept in the memories of a seven year old girl who had really thought he could give her the sun and the moon. With that her shoulders began to tremble with the force of the sobs that she couldn't hold in any longer.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall entered the waiting room and walked over to Stan.

"Has my house been cleared?"

"Yes, I had a team go over it to make sure there were no explosives or anything else wrong with it. Why?"

"Mary wants to go home now and I want to make sure it's safe to enter my house. Right now she needs to deal with her own feelings and not have to try and comfort Brandi or Jinx. I also need to borrow one of the SUV's. We're leaving as soon as I have the arrangements made."

Stan nodded and handed him the keys to the SUV. "I'll have the house inspected one more time just as a precautionary measure. I highly doubt after all the testimony any one would come after you or Mary but I'd rather make sure just in case."

"Thanks Stan. If Mary comes out, tell her I'll be right back."

"I will. Marshall, make sure the both of you take as much time off as you need. I know that this has been rough on both of you."

Marshall nodded and headed out to get the SUV and pulled it up so Mary could hop in so they could leave Arizona behind. With any luck he could get Mary to let him help her. She seemed more willing to let him in than she had ever been before. He knew things were changing with the two of them, but now wasn't the time to deal with that. Mary needed her best friend right now and that is exactly what she was going to get.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary finally got up from the floor and quickly washed her face to erase any signs of her tears. Marshall would be ready and she wanted as much distance between her and her father that she could get. She had a lot to deal with and thankfully Marshall was still by her side. Heading out of the bathroom she nodded at Stan and noticed the SUV pull up with Marshall in it.

"See you back in Albuquerque" Mary said to Stan.

"When you're ready come back, until then take your time and make sure Marshall goes to the doctor for a checkup like they requested when he was discharged" Stan ordered.

"I will" Mary replied, with confronting her father she'd honestly forgotten Marshall's injuries. Thankfully the drive was only a little over five hours. They'd stop if Mary saw any signs of Marshall needing to. With that she headed out to the SUV and got in before Marshall had a chance to get out. "Let's go."

"As you wish" Marshall replied.

Mary gave him a small smirk before turning her head to look out the window. She needed time to gather her thoughts before her and Marshall talked. She wasn't sure if they'd talk right away, because she wasn't sure she was ready to vocalize her thoughts until they were in order and she wanted to make sure he was feeling up to it when they arrived home. She knew Marshall wouldn't push her to talk until she was ready and knew that he was in her head taking up space again when he hit the radio on to one of the stations that played country music.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall pulled into his driveway and was hesitant to wake Mary up. While Marshall had slept throught the night before she went to the courthouse after his injuries, his father had mentioned she didn't sleep well. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he resisted the urge to stroke her cheek. He loved to watch Mary sleep, because it was the only time she was ever completely at peace.

Sighing Marshall let her sleep while he took their bags into the house. Once that was done he quietly shut his door and opened Mary's. Gently grabbing her shoulder his shook it lightly.

"Mary, we're here."

Mary felt the movement on her shoulder and was about to smack the person who dared to interrupt her sleep, until the gentle voice of Marshall penetrated her brain.

"What? Why did we stop? Are you okay?" Mary asked, sleep confusing her thoughts.

"I'm fine, Mare. We're home."

"Why the hell didn't you wake me up sooner? You shouldn't have driven all the way on your own."

"I'm fine Mary and I've done a lot longer drives before."

"Yeah, without a concussion, with me keeping you talking for at least part of the trip and without all the other injuries you received because of dear old Dad" Mary replied, not meaning to bring her father up already.

"Mare, I've had a lot worse injuries. The drive was only a little over five hours. We're here, let's just go in and relax and order something to eat, okay?"

Mary undid her seatbelt and began to get out. "Fine, I'll be the one ordering the food while you shower and then rest on the couch."

Marshall rolled his eyes, but just nodded in agreement. Mary was about to go back into overprotective mode again. She would rather focus on him instead of dealing with everything that happened with her father. If it made her feel better he would let her do it for tonight, but he wouldn't let it continue tomorrow. She needed to talk about everything that happened.

"Go, I'm not asking" Mary insisted, pushing Marshall towards the hallway.

"You do realize that I already have a mother" Marshall said, moving faster down the hallway so Mary couldn't punch his arm.

"That's right run before I hurt you for that last comment" Mary said, smirking as she heard the bathroom door close. Moving to the phone she dialed and ordered their food. She knew Marshall would let her watch him tonight and tonight only. He would focus on her and trying to heal her wounds starting tomorrow.

Mary began to wonder if those wounds could be healed. She thought about the tall lanky man in the shower. Was it really fair to drag him any further through the mess that is known as her life? Could she actually do this without him? Was it fair to him? Could she stop him from getting further involved? When the hell did things get so confusing?

"You're over thinking whatever is going on in that head of yours. I can smell the smoke from here" Marshall said, leaning against the wall watching Mary.

Mary looked up at him and felt like it was the first time that she really did see him. It surprised her that it didn't scare her; but then again she was starting to see him for the good looking man he truly was. The funny part was the thing that attracted her most to him was his heart. He had always been kind and caring, but to put up with everything that had happened over the years and not to leave spoke volumes about the man he was.

"What did I do right to deserve you?" Mary asked the question that had plagued her since they became partners.

Marshall worried about the self doubts that must be going through Mary's head. Moving towards her, he sat across from her so that she could look him in the face to know what he was saying was the truth. He placed his hands on her knees to draw her attention to him.

"First of all I consider myself the lucky one. You seem to deem yourself unworthy to have anyone in your life that can care for you. Mary, you are one of the strongest people I know. You're compassionate and determined to help others. You could've let your life go down hill, but instead you fought to make something of yourself. You took care of you sister and your mother for a lot longer than necessary. You stand by those that you care about and are fiercely protective when someone tries to hurt them. What your father did to you and your family was unfair and unjust. I consider myself the lucky one the day you walked into my life. Granted I didn't feel like that the first part of our meeting, but somewhere during our trip back to Albuquerque, I got a glimpse of the real you. What you did to deserve me was being the wonderful person that you are. "

"I think that concussion did more damage than you realize. Maybe we should take you to the hospital for a second opinion."

"Cute."

Mary smirked then leaned forward and kissed Marshall's forehead.

"Thank you, for everything that you've done and will be doing for me in the future. I know you won't leave my side no matter how hard I try to push you away. I don't want to drag you through all of this muck, but I know that you won't stay away and I need you to stay. You're still my protector" Mary said just as they were interrupted by the knock on the door. "Supper is on."

Mary and Marshall ate in relative silence and watched several movies before Mary noticed that Marshall began to yawn.

"Alright, bedtime for you, Doofus."

"Mare, I can stay up if you want to talk."

"No, the both of us are going to go to bed. Besides, I think I saw the Grand Canyon with that yawn. Tomorrow we can start working on reconstructing my messed up life. Tonight we are going to sleep and not deal with any worries."

Mary let Marshall crawl into bed while she changed into shorts and one of his t-shirts. Climbing into the bed she noted that Marshall was already asleep. She laid her ear over his heart and listened to the steady beat, for some reason it always soothed her. It had never been like that with any of the men she dated. The one night stands was obvious it wouldn't since she didn't stick around long enough, but for all the time she'd spent with Raph she was never comforted by his mere presence or the sound of his heartbeat. She chalked it up to another sign that she had missed or disregarded. She traced a finger over Marshall's cheek and realized James had been right about one thing. She had missed what was in front of her all these years. She had come damn close to losing him to Abigail and that scared her more than she cared to admit.

Not able to fall asleep, she began to think about her one night with Mark that changed things for her again. She knew she didn't love him and that she had meant what she told Marshall about not wanting to go down that path again. The pregnancy had kept him in her life until the scare at country club where Brandi was supposed to be married. Mark may not be the most brilliant guy, but when Mary wanted Marshall and no one else he had gotten the clue. She had to give Mark credit because he did try to be what she wanted, but Mary wasn't dumb enough to believe that he could stay that way. The minute she would've let him back in he would have stopped the pretenses and became her next leach. He quickly signed his parental rights away when they realized the baby had health pr,oblems. Mary knew that she couldn't provide the attention the baby needed with her job and if she left the boy with Jinx it would push her back to the bottle. Jinx wasn't good at handling complicated situations and Brandi was a mess. Luckily the Templetons didn't care if the baby had needs. They were more than happy to take care of him. Mary never realized how hard it would be to do the right thing, but Marshall stood by her side through it all. It was what caused Abigail to move back to Texas.

It was then that Mary started to see Marshall for more than just a partner and best friend. She saw the man he was and the future that he could and would provide her if she would only let him. She had fought so hard to deny the feelings he stirred in her, but it had become too much. She was finally figuring it all out when her father had to reappear in her life. The only benefit to it was when they were in the cabin she could no longer deny to herself that there was love without fear growing inside her heart with every second she spent with him. The fear of losing him had reared its head after the explosion, but she finally realized something from her talk with Seth. Marshall wasn't her father. He wasn't Seth either, but his family values came from his parents and Marshall wouldn't leave her. She would regret never telling him how she felt if he had died.

Wrapping her arm around Marshall's waist, she realized that even when they finished talking about her father that they still needed to address the fact that they were both in love with one another. It was long over due and time for her to get her act together before her chance slipped away. With that conclusion made, she listened again to Marshall's heart until she drifted to sleep with a smile on her face. She actually had a future that would bring her love and happiness while being respected and accepted for who she truly was.


	9. Chapter 9

Marshall woke up with Mary snuggled on his chest. He noticed the smile on her face and wondered what had caused it to appear. He was glad it was there after everything that happened yesterday. He decided to enjoy her smile and relax a little longer before getting up. He knew something was changing between the two of them and had been for awhile, but he wasn't sure if it was a permanent change or one brought on by the multitude of circumstances they had been in lately.

Marshall knew exactly when things began to change. Mary had begun looking and treating him differently since giving up her son. He had kept his promise to support her no matter what her decision was and with the special circumstances he understood that Mary made the best choice possible. At first Marshall had thought it was because of the baby, but while Mary still missed and thought about him often she had come to realize that she made the right choice. It didn't always make her feel good but over time she seemed to come to terms with it. Marshall kept waiting for Mary to resort back to her old ways of building up barriers and protecting her heart after she started getting used to the idea. She surprised him by continuing to talk to him without him pushing her and their friendship had grown stronger because of it. She let him in, smiled more and made a genuine effort to be a better friend, but just before her Dad entered into her life again Mary had been looking at him in ways he refused to classify because he feared he was setting himself up for heartache.

His hand began to unknowingly trace over her arm as he let his thoughts formulate in his mind. He wasn't blind to the way she had looked him over as he entered the hot tub nor was he oblivious to the fact that he could tell she was looking at him on other occassions at the cabin, but he wasn't sure if that was because of the emotional upheaval in her life, the lack of a boyfriend or because she actually had feelings for him. Did she really feel something for him or was it his hopeful imagination? That question continued to plague him even though he knew he was getting ahead of himself with thoughts of havinig a relationship. They needed to work through Mary's current issues associated with her father. They could deal with their own relationship afterwards. Mary had enough to deal with and he didn't want her to feel like he was pressuring her to feel something she may or may not feel towards him.

Marshall knew he would be giving himself heartburn trying to figure out if she did have feelings for him or if he was going to have to put his feelings for Mary on the shelf once again when this was all over with. He couldn't keep waiting for Mary to figure out what she wanted forever. He had dreams of his own that wouldn't ever come true if he held on to false hope. If she didn't have feelings for him then it was time to face the facts and put himself together before trying to move on with his life. His Dad had been right that he needs to put himself first if he was ever going to find happiness. While he realized he was putting Mary first currently it was because she needed from him to continue to support her through this and he couldn't become another person that failed her when she needed them the most. He would deal with his heart when things began to balance out again for Mary. Then it would be his turn to come first.

"Mmm," Mary moaned feeling the soothing movement on her arms. Moving her head she peaked up at Marshall and could tell he was lost in thought. "Hey, where are you?"

"Just thinking," Marshall replied, not wanting to put Mary under more stress.

"Must be something serious" Mary said, knowing Marshall was avoiding answering her question.

Mary wasn't blind or dumb, she knew that Marshall had to be wondering what was going on between them. He was too observant not too. He had to wonder why now or even if what she was showing was real. She had left him hanging so many times there had to be insecurities and she was going to have to find away to show him that she finally figured out what her heart wanted and what her heart wanted was one Marshal Marshall Mann. The odd part was she already knew that she didn't want a few days, weeks or years with Marshall. She wanted the rest of her life with him. He was the only one that she could imagine sharing this life with and being happy about it. It was definitely what she wanted, but she knew with everything going on they would need to go slow in order to not screw this up. She needed Marshall to be comfortable with the idea of a future with her being a reality just as much as she needed time to get used to the idea of having a serious relationship that she truly wanted. She was also aware that knowing she wanted it was one thing, but making it work without her panicking and running away or doing something stupid was a whole different story. As much as she wasn't one for doing things slowly, this was the one time she'd make an exception to that rule. There was too much to lose if she didn't do this the right way.

"I'm going to make breakfast. It's nothing that we can't talk about later. I do believe today is about you" Marshall said.

"Does that mean bacon, eggs and pancakes?" Mary asked.

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Would I neglect you? Just remember this is not the about you part I meant for today though."

"I know. We'll talk I promise. I'm just not completely sure where to start this conversation" Mary admitted.

"Baby steps, Mare. There is no set time frame for you to talk through everything. You just need to tell me what you need and when you need to take a break from discussing this. We'll take it at whatever pace you need to go. Now go take your shower so we can eat."

Mary walked into the kitchen and smelled the food.

"I'm in heaven" Mary said, seeing the table set and the food out.

They ate in silence and cleaned up before heading into the living room. Nervous about the conversation she was about to have and the fact that once the words left her mouth she would be admitting out loud that the man she adored for her entire life wasn't who she remembered him to be. She couldn't turn bacck time or pretend James wasn't a man to compare all others to. Her father didn't love her like he had led her to believe all those years ago. Her memories were of a man that only existed in the eyes of a child.

Marshall watched as Mary began to pace the floor as the tension mounted in her body. He'd tell her to sit, but knew it would do no good.

"Mare, baby steps."

Mary blew out a breath before trying to compose herself.

"I don't know what to feel Marshall. For just shy of eight years he was my shelter in the storm. The man I adored, loved and cherished above all other things. He promised me everything would be okay, that I could reach for the stars and the moon and some day all my dreams would come true. He left on a 'trip' just before my eighth birthday, but promised me that he would be back in time for my birthday with the best present ever. You know what I got for my birthday instead? A mother passed out on the living room floor, a baby to feed and change and the beginnings of a lifetime of cleaning up their messes. I stayed up all night on my birthday waiting for him to come home. Every day after that I would rush home from school and sit by the window thinking today would be the day he returned home" Mary said, swiping the tears from her cheek.

"You were a little girl who looked up her father. We all did that at one time Mary. I waited every day for my Dad to come home and hung on every word he said. The older I got the further apart we became and the less I saw him as the hero I once believed he was. I know that my situation is completely different from yours in a lot of ways, but idolizing a parent is a normal thing. Sometimes they only lose a small piece of the person you once saw and other times it all falls apart."

"When did you lose your hero worship of your Dad?"

"About the same time I did the DNA test, but were skipping to me. Today is your day" Marshall reminded, wanting to get her back on track. For Mary this was a huge move and he didn't want her to get sidetracked.

"I can't seem to merge the man I remember as a child and the man who set us up to die. I'm pissed as hell at him for doing that and then add the fact that he placed us as expendable compared to his other family. What the hell does that tell you? His perfect family that had to be protected at all cost but his first family was disposable. What kind of man does that? We were his pawns in order to protect them. I had connections with guns so why not just send the cartel after us? Who cares if we die? Yet, he sees me again and criticizes my life and tells me he wanted to see his grandchild. He acted like I would let him get his dirty mitts on the child. I'm wrong to give him up to someone who could love and care for him the way he needed. Yet it was okay for him to be a part of my life and let me love and adore him just so he could leave to be free. How the hell does he think they compare? I...I… I…" Mary struggled to continue, but her carefully built walls shattered.

Marshall got up and led Mary to the couch where he pulled her to his chest. Mary grabbed his shirt in a death grip and hung on for dear life. Marshall rubbed soothing patterns on her back while whispering words of comfort that he knew full well that she couldn't hear over the sobs that refused to stop no matter how hard she fought them. It didn't really matter to him if she heard the words as long as she let the pain out. It had festered inside her for far too long. The release of years of pain were all that mattered, it would be the only way for her to finally move forward with her life.

Mary felt like her heart shattered into pieces as she described the man she didn't know compared to the one she thought she did. It felt good to get it out of her system and she wasn't embarrassed about the break down even though she struggled to stop crying over a man who didn't love her like he had said he did.

While bawling all over Marshall it finally clicked together for her. Marshall was safe, sound and he was truly her shelter in the storm. It was a strange thought when she finally realized that in many ways Marshall had replaced the image she had held of her father since she was a kid. The difference is that he wasn't an image. He was solid, sturdy, caring and dependable. She wanted to tell him that, but she couldn't stop the tears or the need to set them free in the arms of the one person she trusted with heart. Marshall wouldn't leave her to face this often cold and cruel world alone. He would bring warmth and color to her life like he had since they became friends. He was everything James wasn't. It was why she had always been afraid of losing him. Without Marshall in her life she would be lost and alone with no one to count on or love.

Marshall wasn't sure what was going on in Mary's head, but when she leaned back and looked at him he knew something had clicked in her mind. Gently swiping his thumb over the tears that streaked down her face he couldn't help but ask.

"What?"

"Why is it that sometimes it takes a person such a long time to realize that they are blind to the truths in front of their face? Why do we fail to see the things in front of us that should be blindingly obvious?"

Marshall assumed she was talking about her father.

"Mare, your Dad was the fun loving parent in your family for the time he was around. You were young and that is how you remember him. Most girls look up to their fathers. You were no different. You were too young to see or understand the things he did. You just knew that he made things better when Jinx was in the bottle. It's perfectly normal not to see the flaws in someone that you look up to. The problem is at some point in your life reality will kick in and the flaws will start to show. In your situation he ran away before you could put the connection together. You remembered the man who could make things okay again and deep down hoped he would come back and do that. Instead you got a lot worse then anyone could imagine. It's perfectly normal to be conflicted between the past and present, especially since you never had the chance to confront him before. A part of you will always love the man who was there for almost eight years. You can't erase those memories and you shouldn't."

"I wasn't talking about my Dad, genius," Mary replied, even though she knew what he said made sense.

"Who were you talking about?" Marshall asked, confused by the response.

"You" Mary whispered, knowing it probably wasn't the best time to bring this up. Hell she never did anything in the right order anyways.

"Mare?"

"Okay, I know that we have a lot of emotional baggage to deal with about my Dad and bringing up other things is probably not the wisest choice, but a lot of things have become clearer to me over the last year. James was right about one thing. I was blind to what was right in front of me or I knew it and was too scared to see it. I didn't want to take the purest person I've ever known and taint them with my life, but I can't seem to stop myself from wanting that person in it."

Marshall felt his blood run cold and hoped she wasn't about to tell him that she had a change of heart towards Mark. Although somehow she couldn't see her calling him pure. They hadn't parted on good terms so it couldn't be him could it. Did she meet someone new or was she talking about the baby? He knew that he was scared to find out the answer but he had to know.

Mary saw the wheels turning and then the sad look she had seen before. What the hell? She thought he would be happy about this.

"You and Mark work things out?" Marshall asked, not able to look Mary in the face.

"That was a dual mistake that won't be repeated. I should have stuck with the not wanting to see him again. We didn't even part on good terms. You know that. There is no one new in my life. The only man in my life that I have been seeing on a regular basis is you. You have been here through everything with me, never left me, have called me on my bullshit, supported me through the worst things that my family and I have been through and the only person I have not wanted to taint with all of the messes in my life. I know it's been a long time coming and I should have seen it sooner. There were plenty of signs that were givien to me and I didn't see them or maybe I did but I was too scared to admit it. For the first time in my life, I'm not scared and don't want to run from that person. That person is you Marshall. I don't know if you still feel the same way about me and if you didn't I would completely understand. I've made huge mistakes and have hurt you in the process of trying to protect you. I can't tell you just how sorry I am for all of that."

"Mare…" Marshall started, but was cut off when Mary placed her hand over his mouth.

"I know that you're thinking that this is a reaction to what happened with my father, but that wouldn't be correct. I started realizing it when you were dating Abby. When you moved in together I wanted to be happy for you, but I was jealous and hoping it would end soon. When it did, I was so excited that I had you back that I didn't help you when you were hurting. This has always been more of a one sided friendship and I've been trying to change that. I'm not talking about us jumping into a relationship right away because I know with everything going on; we need to go slowly in order for us to make a relationship work."

"Why didn't you say something to me before?"

"You were happy or at least seemed happy. I didn't want to ruin that. Of all the people I know, you're the one that deserved complete happiness."

"We have always had the crappiest timing. Mary, I do care about you deeply, but this has to sit on the backburner for a little while. This whole year has been a roller coaster ride for you and I need you to have your feet on the ground before we even consider this. I want this to be the right move without strong emotions guiding it. I need to know that you're dedicated and ready to make a commitment to having an actual relationship with me, if we do cross that line. I'm not saying I'm not interested or that any of my feelings have changed for you, but I need some time too. My feet need to planted firmly in the ground also if we're to do this."

"Marshall, I know that. Everything has been crazy hectic for both of us. I know we both have emotions to work through. Even after you and I talk, I'll probably need to talk to Shelley or someone else to work through everything. You are my first choice, but I have a feeling a shrink would probably be a good idea."

"You know you never cease to amaze me. Your strength, tenacity and how much you care about your witnesses without ever actually saying it have always impressed me. It's good to see that you are becoming more aware of your own personal needs. You know that I will always be here for you."

Mary smirked at that. "I know. You're just impressed that I finally started to mature some finally. Seriously Marshall, there is nothing I wouldn't or won't tell you."

"Sometimes you can get an impartial opinion from someone who doesn't hold a space in your head. Trust me I get that. I didn't go to Shelly, but I did find someone to talk to with all the confusion between you and Abigail. I needed someone that didn't know all of us. It helped clear out some of the thoughts and helped me work out what deep down I already knew, but couldn't admit to myself."

"Can they recommend someone? I'm not overly comfortable with sharing some things with Shelly. I'll have to talk to her about what happened with James at the courthouse, but my personal life and feelings about people involved in them are something I'm not sure I'm comfortable talking to her about."

"Sure, just let me know what you are looking for, male or female."

"I will. I soaked your shirt." Mary said, absently noticing it as she looked down briefly.

"It will dry. You have a whole lot of tears that you have kept inside for so long. My shirt is yours to soak as much as you need."

"Thanks, I'll probably be using it over the next few days. When do you think your Dad and brothers will arrive?"

"They'll tie up loose ends and may just head home."

"I know that we're supposed to be talking about me and I promise I'll get back to that, but I need a break from the tears. You should have a heart to heart with your Dad. Don't look at me like I'm crazy. The man loves you and wants to know you. He realizes he has made mistakes, but he never would abandon you. You love him too Marshall, but you always expect for him to give you the failure report card."

"I know he loves me, Mare. I never questioned that. It's hard to talk to someone with whom you share almost nothing in common and that has strong opinions of who or what you should be. Things changed some after Operation Falcon, but it's going to take us a lot of time before we end on any type of equal terms. I'm not giving up on him. I promise you that I won't do that. I love him even though he frustrates and annoys me often."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. One of us should have an intact family. I happen to kind of like yours. Marshall, I need to ask you something and I need you to tell me the honest truth."

"Of course."

"Do you think less of me for giving the baby away?"

"No, I don't. The baby had special needs that you don't have the time, money or proper support to handle it with. You couldn't afford to quit your job or take an extended leave to take care of him. You wanted to give him the best chance at the perfect life that you envisioned for him."

"You had hoped that I would keep him."

"I wanted you to explore all your options before making a decision that could come back to haunt you. I meant what I said that there was no judgment either way. I know that you did what's best for your son, Mary. That is what a good parent does. Do I think you have the skill set to be a good mother? The answer to that is yes. It's in you, but I think you need to make peace with your past before you'll be ready. I saw the way you struggled with the decision and know by the way you looked at him when you held him that one time that you loved him. You loved your son enough to give him a better life than what you could currently. I couldn't be prouder of you for putting his needs first."

"The look on the Templetons face made me feel better. I can't imagine wanting a child so badly and not being able to have one. They told me they would tell him about me and would be more than willing to let me see him if I wanted. I just don't know if I can do that. I know I can't any time soon. It will hurt too much."

"When and if you're ready to see him, then I'd be more than happy to go with you for moral support."

"After all the crap I've put you through, how can you still be so supportive? I don't know that I could do that if the roles were reversed."

"You act on impulse and flight mode when things get too personal. You're not cruel to me on purpose. It's usually when you're confused or trying to prove a point to yourself that you do something that makes no sense to me. Usually that point isn't what you want and you realize the mistakes that come from it. You do things to protect your heart because it's already been broken so many times that you had given up hope for anything good happening to you. I have a space in your head that tells me most of the things you can't."

"I want to improve on us. I want to be a good friend and more to you. I might need to ask for pointers and you'll probably need to be patient with me still."

"I'm a patient man. Did they tell you what they named him?"

"Andrew Jacob Templeton. Mrs. Templeton said she named him Andrew because it means…"

"Courageous, just like his Mom and just like Andrew will be. It's a fitting name."

"You're in my head again."

"It's not so scary once you start to move some of the cobwebs around.'

"Marshall, my own thoughts scare me. I don't know why they don't scare you. I mean if my father can just walk out on one family to start the ideal life that he had envisioned for himself without a single glance back, how can you not worry?"

"Mary, you have never been nor will you ever be your father."

"How could he spend eight years calling me his princess and twirling me around and then disappear?" Mary asked swiping the tears from her eyes.

It angered her that she could still get so emotional over her father. She knew it was probably logical and Marshall could probably explain to her, but when someone sets you up to die how can you cry over losing someone that never loved you enough to stay?

"What do the Griffins have that we don't?"

Marshall felt bad as he stared at Mary's tear streaked face.

"No lies, just the straight truth." Mary demanded.

"Simplicity with no melodrama. A wife and a family he could come home to and pretend to be the normal family he had always envisioned. On the outside they appeared to be the perfect family, but you can't be when a relationship is built on lies and deception. The Griffins are hurting too and apparently Lauren and Scott have started down a path of following your father. With any luck maybe, this will stop them from going any further down that road. James is going to lose everything he had because of the lies he told. You have nothing to fear about becoming him. Mare, you hold back the truth unless someone confronts you with it to protect yourself, but since becoming pregnant you seem to have started to realize the consequences of your actions and how they affect others. You're trying hard to improve on your social interaction skills with those you care most about. It's not going to happen overnight, but as long as you keep trying you'll make it. You're not your father or mother. You made yourself into something so much more. You're human and humans make mistakes. All of us, including me."

"What are you trying to say really?" Mary asked, sniffling.

"There is no such thing as perfection. Everyone tries to find it, but you won't ever truly get there. Even the best of relationships hit snags. There are ups and downs to everything in life, but as long as you remember that it's okay and try not to force this perceived version of perfection, things will eventually turn out okay. It's not always a smooth ride to get where you are going, but the journey that takes you there is thrilling, terrifying, heartbreaking and some of the happiest times of your life. They are what make up your memories. Don't focus on just one part. Remember the whole trip because when you reach the end you'll know that it was worth it if you accomplished even a portion of what you set out to do."

"Thank you, Marshall. I know I don't say that often enough, but I really do mean it. Everything you've done both past and present has helped me realize that there are still good people in this world. Can you call your shrink to find me one? As much as I relish our talks, I know that I'll need someone professional to help me work out all of the baggage. I think I'm finally ready to start tearing down some of the walls that I've built up over the years. I can't let my father continue to hold me back and prevent me from moving forward with my life. I want to know that I can find happiness on the top of my list and not buried under lots of other things. While I'm working on me, maybe you can work on your relationship with your father and brothers. This whole thing just might be therapeutic for all of us."

"You really like my Dad. I will work on my relationship with Dad and my brothers. I just don't make any guarantees about the outcome."

"I have a feeling, that we'll both end up coming out of this a lot healthier."

Marshall smiled at that. He had never seen Mary so determined to do something; especially when it was something she'd been running from for so long.

"No more running from problems. From now on we face them straight on and come to each other if we need extra support."

"Sounds good to me" Mary replied while handing Marshall the phone.

Mary watched him dial and talk and for the first time in longer than she could recall she felt a sense of relief and freedom wash over her. It was a strange feeling to get when she was going to be confronting her demons straight on, but if it meant her finally finding a way to reconcile with the past and build a new future then in the end then it was worth every second of it. She would find her happiness by facing her personal demons with the same tenacity that helped her become a Marshal. It was long over due.

Marshall hung up and handed Mary the paper he'd written the number down for the psychiatrist that his had recommended.

Mary took the piece of paper, and then took a deep breath before dialing the number.

Marshall watched the determined look on her face as she scheduled the appointment and was happy that she was doing something that was good for her. With any luck she'd learn to put the past on a shelf stored somewhere in the back of her mind to prevent it from ruining her future. He knew she couldn't ever get rid of the memories of abandonment and betrayal, but she could learn how to live with them and still allow herself to have a happy life.

They talked on and off through the rest of the day about all that happened, but both partners knew that it would take time for Mary to get through all her issues and even Marshall would need time to deal with his relationship with Mary. If they were going to pursue this he had some insecurity issues that he also had to confront. He was more than willing to do it for Mary and his sake.

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Four months had passed since the trial. Mary was packing up her things to head to her appointment with the shrink that Marshall found her. It was eerie to her that she had been making so much progress by just letting herself open up. Yes, she kept her tough outer shell on at work; it was good for the job. It was another to find herself more comfortable opening up to Marshall about her feelings and letting him into her heart willingly.

"Appointment?" Marshall asked.

"Yep, picking up your Dad tonight?"

"Yeah, his flight arrives in another hour. If you need anything feel free to stop by. Dad won't mind."

"You're still nervous about being alone with Seth" Mary pointed out.

"No, actually it's been getting a lot easier to talk to him. Well as easy as it can ever be. He's not going to stop being the person he is, but we've learned to take topics that we don't see eye to eye on more cautiously. Neither of us wants to destroy the progress we made. I was actually saying that because I know how hard some of these sessions are for you."

"If it gets to be too much, I'll let you know. Otherwise, we have a date Sunday night after your father leaves."

"We are perfectly set for date night. I've ordered your favorite ribs and have a pile of action movies that should suit your needs just fine."

Mary smiled as she walked over to Marshall's desk.

"I love you, Marshall Mann" Mary whispered, in order to make sure no one else over heard.

The two had started dating two months into Mary's sessions. They took things slow and haven't as of yet crossed the make out session line much to Mary's dismay. Marshall needed the security of knowing she was in for the long haul so she forces herself not to lose patience and ravage the man, but it was getting harder. On the other hand, they were getting to know what each other liked or disliked in relationships. Mary was beginning to understand the slow and steady wins the race theory. Her shrink had encouraged her to keep taking steps in moving their relationships forward and to keep taking her partners feelings into consideration. This was also unchartered territory for her, but she found it actually kind of rewarding to let Marshall lead sometimes. They were trying to make it an equal relationship.

The relationship was helping her deal with control issues too. Mary was used to always being the one in control and not giving it up to anyone else. She was learning that by letting Marshall have an equal share in the relationship that it was actually rewarding and she was finding out she liked things that she never would have tried. Marshall was too although he was usually more willing to try new things. She was beginning to wonder if the shrink was turning her into a sap, but Marshall reminded her that she was still a bad ass Marshal. It didn't mean she wasn't strong to share things with the person she was in love with. The love word had taken awhile to say and be comfortable saying, but with Marshall she wasn't scared to say it anymore. It was the first time those words flowed freely from her lips and had actually meaning to them.

"You still with me, Mare?"

"Sorry, thinking."

"Let's walk out together" Marshall said.

They got to their cars and Marshall took a look around before pulling Mary flush to his body and began kissing her passionately. When they came up for air, Marshall leaned his forehead against Mary's.

"I love you, too."

"I'll see you on Sunday. Good luck with your Dad."

"Call me after the session."

Mary looked at his face and could tell he meant it. He worried about how she reacted to them. There were times when she would come over and bawl on his shoulder for hours. He wished every time that happened that there was a way to erase the pain her father had caused her. Since he couldn't he hoped in time that he could give her enough good memories that they would overshadow all of the bad memories she carried.

"I'll call. Brandi and I are going to go out on Saturday. If you need to talk to me, you better call. This is a two way street, Doofus."

"I will. You better get going or you're going to be late" Marshall said, leaning in to steal another kiss before they parted.

"You sure we can't just go to your house for a little while?" Mary teased, before heading towards her car. Marshall and she always had a hard time stopping a good make out session.

"Don't tempt me," Marshall cautioned as he watched Mary drive out of the parking lot. He briefly wondered how they'd both gotten so lucky.


	10. Chapter 10

Mary showed up Sunday at lunch time bringing a pie for dessert. Marshall wouldn't let her cook the main meal unless her version of cooking consisted of picking up the phone and dialing. Burn a couple of meals and he never forgets although if she was honest she preferred his cooking.

They had talked Friday after her session and again on Saturday when Seth went to bed. Nothing bad had happened they just both really missed each other. It was weird that even though she saw him every day she still missed him when he wasn't around even if it was just a matter of hours. With Raph she couldn't wait for to get away from him for some free time. Although if she were honest with herself when she got away from Raph she would go spend time with Marshall and find happiness. They always ended up doing something fun together. Hell she could just sit with Marshall and watch television and be more relaxed than she had been with anyone else. Yet she still had missed the signs. It amazed her how blind she let herself be in her desire to protect Marshall from all things Shannon.

Marshall opened the door as she approached.

"You're smiling and still in one piece. Looks like Seth went easy on you" Mary said, smiling at Marshall.

"I take it Shannon sister bonding time went well. You look relaxed even after Brandi stayed the night" Marshall replied smiling.

"It actually did. Brandi and I talked a lot about what happened with James, with her and Peter and she apologized for trying to influence my decision on the baby to what she wanted instead of what was best for me and the baby. I swear Marshall that if I turn into a girly girl after all of this you had better kick my butt back into shape. I can't do dresses, spa weekends, nail polish and gossip. I'd never survive."

"That's my girl. No frilly things for you. What kind of pie did you bring me?"

"I brought _us_ some French Silk" Mary replied, side stepping Marshall and entering the house.

Finding a place to set the pie down she turned around grabbed Marshall by the shirt and hauled him to her so she could kiss him senseless. The fact that she had missed the taste of him in less than two days should have her running towards the hills, but instead she just wanted him closer and wanted more of him. It was strange to find herself for the first time in her life running towards someone instead of away from them. She never thought she'd see that day come. She wished she'd gone to therapy sooner. If someone had told her she'd feel this much better she would have gone a long time ago.

Marshall deepened the kiss as he put his arms around Mary and pulled her body firmly against his, taking advantage of whatever thoughts were distracting her. Her kisses were intoxicating and he couldn't believe how much he missed them since Friday. As Mary's lips became more demanding, Marshall couldn't help but think that it was time to step things up a notch. His body wanted all of her, but they were not to that point with their relationship. At this point though he wanted more than just her lips against his. He wanted to explore her body with his hands or at least a part of it. With that thought in mind he slipped his hand under her shirt and softly caressed her bare skin with the tips of his fingers as they slowly traced up her stomach towards her breast.

Mary couldn't help but moan when she felt Marshall's fingers touching her skin. Just the barest of touches set her body on fire and it had been craving more attention for awhile now. She almost cried when he pulled his lips from hers until she felt him trailing kisses up and down her neck before nibbling on her ear while his hands caressed around her breasts. She moaned in delight as his hands finally reached their destination.

Marshall cupped her breast through the material of her bra while steering Mary towards the couch. Once Mary felt the couch pressed against the back of her leg she eagerly laid down on it and reached for Marshall's arm to draw him down on top of her. Marshall could see the desire in Mary's eyes as he lowered himself on top of her before readjusting their positions so Mary could lift her arms up allowing Marshall to take her shirt off. She licked her lips as she made to get rid of her bra but was stopped by Marshall's hands.

The second he saw Mary's tounge move over her lips Marshall felt desire burn through his veins. When he realized she was about to take away his pleasure of revealing her breasts for the first time he captured her lips in a demanding kiss while moving her hands away from her bra. Mary responded by opening her mouth and letting him explore while pulling his body even closer to hers. Her hand snaked around to the back of his neck trying to hold him there until they were both so breathless they had to pull away from each other.

"Marshall?" Mary asked huskily as a wicked smile crossed his face seconds before he moved further away from her mouth. Her confusion ended as he place a gentle kiss to her chin before leaving a trail of gentle kisses from her neck dow to her belly button and up again. His hands roamed freely over her ribs and up her sides and her body arched into his in response to her growing need for more.

Marshall could feel Mary's body arching into his as his kisses intensified. He continued to trail his mouth from her chin to her belly button as his hands moved up to cup her breasts one again through the lace of her bra. As he began to undo the clasps he would kiss the skin he was exposing. Finally undoing the last clasp Marshall pushed the material to the side ignoring Mary's attempt to move to allow him to take the bra off completely. He couldn't help but think he didn't need to before his hands cupped her bare breasts. His lips teased her swollen nipples before capturing her right nipple with his lips causing Mary to cry out his name.

Mary couldn't believe the intense pleasure she got from the mere contact of Marshall's lips and hands as she felt his free hand tracing from her stomach, over to her ribs and then up to her left breast where he rolled her nipple between his fingers. Mary was on fire and wanted more. She wanted to feel his skin the way he was touching hers. Reaching up she began to undo the buttons on his shirt and almost cried out in glee at the fact that for once he hadn't put a wife beater on under his shirt. There was just well toned muscled skin for her to caress but she still wanted more. She wanted his shirt off and wanted it off now. She struggled to get his shirt out of his pants. Normally she would have undone his jeans but their current position was preventing her from it. Frustrated at her inability to get at what she wanted she briefly glared at Marshall before making her demand known.

"Marshall, get your damn shirt off," Mary managed to get out in between the soft moans escaping her lips as his mouth worked magic on her body.

Marshall quickly removed his hands from Mary's chest and pulled the shirt out of his jeans. He noticed Mary reach up just before he felt the shirt yanked off his body. Once Mary got what she needed she began pulling him back down and capturing his lips. Her kiss was fierce and demanding as her body was buzzing with the need for Marshall to take her completely. She didn't get a chance to voice her wants because Marshall devoured her lips in one of the most sensual kisses she had ever experienced.

Not wanting Marshall to derail her thoughts from her original plan, Mary began to use her hands to explore Marshall's arms. The feeling of the muscles on his arms amazed her, because until you seen or felt them you would never think it was possible by the way he looked in his clothes. Her hands began to trail a path from his arms up to his shoulders and down his back. Mary found herself immensly pleased when Marshall moaned in to her breast as she lightly scratched her nails along his back.

Marshall couldn't believe how good Mary's hands felt running over his body. He could feel himself responding and without thinking he began to rock his body against Mary's and felt her body react to his movements. He could feel the intensity of his arousal straining against his jeans.

Marshall finally had to admit they were spinning out of control quickly when he felt Mary spread her legs as her hand ran across his arousal and up to the buckle on his jeans. He wanted nothing more than to continue down this path and finally make love to her, but his mind registered the fact that they still had to slow things down. As much as they both wanted this and he knew full well they did it wasn't the right time to make love. While they were dealing with their issues he knew some work was still needed and until he was completely sure they were ready for the final step he had to make sure they stopped. He also knew that if he didn't stop them now they wouldn't be stopping at all. He gently reached down and pulled Mary's hand away from his button and moved it up over her head. His mouth covered hers hungrily as he gazed into her desire filled eyes. Breaking the kiss off he pulled his head back and gently stroked her cheek before kissing her forehead gently while trying to even out his breathing. Marshall dropped his head into the crook of neck while Mary's fingers continued to stroke his back.

"Marshall?" Mary asked both aroused and confused by the sudden stop.

Marshall placed a chaste kiss to the side of her neck before answering.

"We're headed to home plate without touching third base and barely stepping on second. As much as I really and I mean really would love to make love to you, we both agreed to take this slow. We're not ready yet emotionally for that final step. Physically, I have no doubts that we are, I think the evidence is perfectly clear. I don't want our first time to be about losing control and trying to meet our bodies' needs. I want our first time to be about us making love to one another" Marshall replied, hoping he was making sense.

"Baseball metaphors, seriously? We're not in high school anymore, Marshall" Mary said frustrated.

"Mare…" Marshall started, but was cut off as Mary covered his mouth to stop him from speaking.

She took a really good look at his face and could tell that he meant it and knew it was just as hard for him to stop. As much as she wanted him she knew that a part of him was right. They were going faster then they were emotionally ready for at the moment. This would be about their bodies finding pleasure and while the emotions were there they were still a little mixed up. Mary knew she almost had it figured out and that meant Marshall knew too. On the other hand, they were going to need to find a middle ground because four months at each plate wasn't going to work for her. She was so far beyond horny and would become a gun toting nightmare if it took a year for them to make love to one another. She'd more than likely end up with more paperwork from shooting incidents on the job to vent her frustrations.

"Marshall, I get what you're saying and despite what my body really wants I know you have a point, but that being said we are _**not**_ taking four months for each base. I will not be held accountable for any actions because of it. I'm not interested in just riding my cowboy. I want to make love to you also. I'm just not completely sure I know what that is or how exactly it feels" Mary replied, honestly.

"Which is why we're stopping now. I promise you when we make love for the first time you will know what I'm talking about. I want to show you what the others haven't. I want you to know what it really means to be loved."

"You're such a sap. How did I ever find you?"

"Fate brought us together and destiny will keep us together."

"I swear next time your Dad is in town and Brandi wants to do a girl's weekend; we should switch places. You're such a girl."

"Oh, I think we've already disproved that theory."

Mary couldn't help but smirk as she looked at their current state of undress. She also noticed the hungry look in Marshall's eyes as he looked at her exposed breasts. She couldn't help but lick her lips in anticipation when his hands moved towards them again, but when Marshall secured her bra up and handed her the shirt she'd been wearing she pouted until he kissed her before getting up from the sofa buttoning his shirt up as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Please, tell me you didn't burn our supper" Mary said, as she heard Marshall open the stove door and shut it.

"Nope, supper was perfectly timed."

Mary realized that he had calculated on make out time before eating. She couldn't help but think that he was sneakier then he looked. The smile she felt forming on her face told her that she liked that fact also. Smiling she got up and followed Marshall into the kitchen, snatching up the pie she had set down when she arrived.

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Mary sat at her desk in the Sunshine Building bored to tears. She and Marshall had completed all of their witness checks yesterday and no new witnesses had been added this week. Marshall had taken today off for some reason and Stan wouldn't spill his guts. She hadn't given up on making him talk yet either. She looked at the calendar and realized that it had already been a year and ten months since her father's trial.

Mary thought back to the day at Marshall's house four months after the trial and how far they had come since then. Marshall had made her wait for another six months before they had finally made love to each other but he had been true to his word. He had made love to her all night long and showed her exactly what it meant to be loved and cherished by someone. It amazed her now that she had once thought what she had with Raph was love or what they had done was considered making love. Raph had called it that but Mary called it sex. It wasn't any different from anyone before him or after him until Marshall showed her the true meaning of the phrase. Mary never realized how much difference the emotional connection made and how important it is to her with Marshall to make sure he receives every bit of pleasure that she does. It's the only time she's ever put someone's needs before hers. They both always wanted to make sure they other one had been pleasured before they had. It was a truly amazing concept to her for the first several times.

Mary's mind went back to the comparison of Raph and Marshall. They were really the only two decent relationships she had although now she wasn't sure she could classify Raph as a relationship. She had tried to make it normal, but in the end the best thing they had going for them was sexual pleasure. The biggest difference between the two men was that Marshall had never tried to change her. He accepted her and loved her flaws included. Raph couldn't accept who she was and what she wanted to be and that explained why happy had been buried so far beneath everything else. She wasn't truly happy with Raph because he kept trying to make her fit the mold of what he wanted. Marshall wanted her for her and loved her no matter what. Now that being said it didn't meant they didn't argue. Occassionally they did, but now Mary made sure to not walk out with angry words left between them. They sometimes seperated for a little bit to cool off but they always came back to each other to explain what they were trying to say and why it meant so much to them.

Mary switched her thoughts back to her and Marshall's relationship. They bought a house together on their one year anniversary of their first date. It had been a huge step for Mary as she had willingly shared the title with Marshall. It was something else she had never considered herself being able to do. Sharing a title meant sharing a commitment and believing that commitment would work. She didn't even have a second thought when they discussed moving in together or putting both their names on the house title. Marshall sold his place and Mary was doing a rent to own with Brandi and Jinx on her old place. She had made them sign a contract much to their dismay, but they had done so without to much drama. Things were falling into place for all of them. She wasn't the only one making strides in improving her life.

Brandi had taken up a sales job at another car dealership since she hadn't wanted to be a constant reminder to Peter of their failed relationship. The two were at least talking to each other and becoming friends again. Peter had found someone and they had been married a little over three months now. Brandi was starting to date again, but at least now they were decent guys like Peter had been. Jinx had finally opened her own dance studio, taking over the one that she was instructing at after the owner passed away unexpectedly. She hadn't fallen off the wagon again with the exception of the day she talked to James. Mary could honestly forgive her for that one slip. Surprisingly enough, Jinx had been steadily dating a decent man for almost six months now. He seemed to make her happy and for that Mary was truly grateful.

Mary was brought out of her reflection by Stan coming out of his office for a cup of coffee.

"Stan?" Mary said,

"No, you only have one more hour to go before you find out what Marshall is up to. I'm not spilling the beans no matter what you threaten to do to me. I swore an oath of secrecy to Marshall."

"That's not fair, Stan. There's nothing to do and I'm bored. You know what happens when I get bored."

"Delia's desk is just over there. You can harass her with your boredom. I will be in my office with the door locked and the blinds closed" Stan replied, heading back to his office and locking the door before Mary tried to stop him.

"Hey, I know how to pick locks. You can't keep away from me forever."

"You'd be amazed at what I can do, Mary."

"Some boss you are" Mary huffed, returning to her seat and grabbing out the spit ball shooter waiting for Delia to come back to her desk.

Stan rolled his eyes before closing the blinds. Grabbing his cell phone he hit speed dial number two.

"Please tell me she's not in trouble or we have a witness in trouble" Marshall said, noting that it was Stan calling.

"Any chance that you're ready for your worse half now?" Stan asked, knowing Mary would become more obnoxious before the hour was up.

"Are we past the spitball stage?" Marshall asked, trying not to laugh.

"No, she pulled it out and is waiting for Delia. She knows I know what you're planning and is trying to get me to spill. I'm the boss and I'm locked in my own office with the blinds pulled closed to avoid my inspector's wrath. Please tell me I can send her home now."

Marshall did a quick inventory of everything and then turned the stove up some so their supper would finish cooking sooner.

"Go ahead and release her. Thank you, Stan. I appreciate everything you have and are doing for me; well us actually."

"You're welcome, Marshall. I'll try and deflect any witness problems that may arise tonight to other inspectors. You two enjoy yourself."

"Thanks again, Stan."

Stan smiled and unlocked his door to see Mary aiming at Delia.

"Mary, I think you should call it a day. Go home and enjoy an early night off. You've earned it."

"Yes! What is Marshall up to Stan?" Mary asked, glaring at her boss hoping for a little insight.

"The sooner you leave the sooner you'll find out."

Mary rolled her eyes but quickly grabbed her things and headed towards the elevator.

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Marshall wanted to make sure everything was just perfect. It couldn't be overly romantic or Mary would probably shoot him, but he wanted it semi romantic to set up his proposal. He made them dinner and it would be on the table with some wine. The French Silk pie was on the counter and the table was set without any candlelight or romantic music playing in the background. He made sure the movie was in the DVD player and the last surprise was secure in his blazer pocket.

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Mary kept trying to figure out what Marshall was up to but couldn't think of anything the entire drive over. Opening the door she saw Marshall on the sofa watching a documentary on the history channel.

"Please tell me you didn't take the day off to fill that brain of yours with more useless knowledge" Mary said, groaning.

"Knowledge is not useless."

Mary was about to reply when she smelled food in the kitchen.

"Have you been cooking?"

"Don't I always?"

Mary chose to ignore that comment. On the days she volunteered to cook they either ate out or got delivery. Marshall cooked from scratch unless they got home late from a transfer or a problem with a witness. Usually that was when he let her cook.

"What are we eating and what have you been up to?"

Marshall took her coat and hung it up before leading her into the kitchen. Mary took the hint and grabbed a seat as Marshall brought out lasagna and garlic bread. He poured them both a glass of wine.

"You still haven't told me what you've been up to today."

"All in good time. Just eat your food then we can have dessert and watch a movie."

They ate dinner and dessert before moving out into the living room.

"The movie is already in the player. Go ahead and start it" Marshall said, sitting on the sofa.

"You are so up to something," Mary grumbled before hitting play. "Sleepless in Seattle? We haven't watched that since our first assignment after we stopped at that Italian restaurant where we had lasagna and garlic bread." It finally dawned on her. "Holy crap."

"Happy Anniversary, Mary."

"I forgot today was the first day we met. I knew we've been together a year and ten months, but I forgot about that. I can't believe it's been eleven years."

"The most turbulent eleven years of my life that I wouldn't exchange for anything," Marshall said, reaching into his blazer pocket.

Marshall was just about to pull out the surprise when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and saw that it was Stan. Something was wrong. He promised not to interrupt them if he could help it.

"Stan?"

"Marshall, I suppose I'm interrupting."

"The finale" Marshall replied.

"I'm sorry, Marshall. I just received a phone call from the Tucson USP. James was killed in a prison riot today. They think James was the target and that Rojas paid the inmate to kill him since Rojas son was murdered a few weeks ago at the prison he was in. I figured it would be better for Mary to hear it from you. I'll handle Jinx and Brandi. Mary doesn't need to deal with that right now. Take care of her Marshall and if either of you needs anything, don't hesitate to call."

Mary knew something was wrong just by seeing Marshall's expression. She hoped that it wasn't Seth or his brothers. They were finally getting along fairly well.

"Thanks, Stan" Marshall replied, pulling his hand out of the pocket the gift was in. It wasn't the right time, now. It would have to wait for another day.

"What did Stan want?" Mary asked.

Marshall so didn't want to have to hurt her with this news. It would and he knew that, but Stan was right better him than anyone else. Marshall turned towards Mary and grabbed her hands.

"You're scaring me, Marshall."

"Stan received a call. Your father was killed in a prison riot today" Marshall said, and then supplied Mary with the rest of the detail Stan had given him.

Mary sat stunned not knowing what to say. Yes, she was angry at her father and refused to see him after everything he did to them, but she still loved the man she knew for seven years. The shrink had told her it was perfectly normal to seperate the two. Marshall had come up with the idea of her remembering the father she adored as James Shannon and James Griffin was the man that betrayed her. It had actually helped her handle it especially since he had switched his last name the day he walked out on them.

"What am I supposed to think, Marshall? I don't know what to feel or say right now" Mary was relieved that Stan took care of Jinx and Brandi.

"I'm so sorry, Mare. Tell me what you need."

"Hold me and don't let go" Mary said, tears streaming down her face.

Marshall lay back on the couch pulling Mary with him. She laid her head on his chest and bawled while he held her tightly while once again whispering meaningless words meant to comfort when deep down it wouldn't help ease the pain in her heart. Time was the only thing that would do that and he would be there for her every step of the way.

Mary clung to Marshall and cried for James Shannon. A part of her would always love her Dad while another part would always be angry with him. It hurt to know that he was gone and even worse to know that it was because of his deception he died. James Griffin died as a convict who had lost the most precious thing to him while James Shannon died leaving the shattered heart that remembered him twirling his princess around in the air. The tears continued until she eventually cried herself to sleep.

Marshall stayed true to his word and never let her go that night. Eventually he lost his battle to stay awake in case Mary needed him. His last concious that was the he hoped he helped ease some of Mary's pain.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary woke to the sun streaming in through the window. Marshall held her securely to his chest. She tilted her head to see his face. She knew he hated telling her things that caused her pain. She sometimes thought it hurt him worse. She laid her head back down and listened to the sound of his heart while running her fingers up and down his side. It was while she was doing this that she accidentally hit the side of his blazer. Thinking he might have left his cell phone in it she reached in to pull it out and was surprised to see a black velvet box. Looking up in surprise she knew that Marshall was looking at her.

"Marshall?"

"Mare."

"What is this?"

"Something that I was going to give you before Stan called, but it can wait. Now isn't really an appropriate time."

"Can I open it?"

"Mary, I want you to, but not until the moment is right."

"Marshall, finish what you were going to do last night before Stan called."

"Mare, I really don't think now is a good time. Your father just died and you're grieving."

"Marshall, look at me. I want to know how last night was supposed to go. Please."

Marshall brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're sure?"

Mary nodded and handed him the box while pushing herself up from Marshall. He moved and sat on the coffee table across from her. He debated about getting down on one knee but that wasn't Mary.

"Mary Shannon, eleven years ago you entered my life. While our initial meeting wasn't probably the smoothest somewhere along the drive back to Albuquerque you earned my respect. You started to inch your way into my heart, first as a friend, then as my best friend and eventually it turned into so much more. I don't know exactly when my feelings changed from friendship to love, but it has been the best journey I've ever taken. I love you, Mary Shannon and I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you marry me?" Marshall asked, opening the box.

Mary felt the tear slip from her eye. It was so perfectly Marshall. He was right, that is where their connection started. When Marshall had been talking about camping with his Dad and brothers and she had talked to him about her father. She had never told anyone that before and didn't really know why she divulged that to him.

"Mare?" Marshall said, nervously.

"Yes, I will marry you," Mary replied, holding her hand out while he slipped the ring on her finger. "I love you too."

Marshall leaned in and captured her lips. Mary reached out and wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer to her before deepening their kiss. Pulling back for a minute Mary knew what she wanted.

"Make love to me Marshall."

"Mare, are you sure. With everything going on are you sure you don't want me to just hold you?"

"Marshall, I'm not going to break because my father died. It does hurt but he's been gone more than he was ever here. Trust me there will be a whole lot of drama about the funeral and burial between the two families. This moment is about you and me. Maybe it's not proper or whatever you want to call it, but I want to make love to you and I want you to make love to me. There is nothing we can do right now for my father, but there is plenty we can do for each other. Later we can find out about what's going on with the arrangements. I want to celebrate our engagement."

Marshall watched her face the entire time Mary was talking. He needed to be sure that she was telling him the truth and not what she thought he wanted to hear.

Mary knew when Marshall was sure and she was grateful that he cared enough to be sure. Her needs were always taken into consideration and he would never do something that he wasn't sure that she was ready for.

"Marshall, I'm sure. I need you to love me" Mary reached for his hand and led him to their bedroom.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Stan had waited until the afternoon, before he picked up the phone to call Mary and Marshall. Things were a little complicated with James body and funeral. Jinx and Brandi didn't seem to know what they should do. Stan waited while the phone rang.

"What?" Mary snapped.

"Good afternoon to you to," Stan replied. "How are you doing?"

Mary looked at Marshall's sleeping form and the ring on her finger.

"Pretty good actually."

"You said yes. I thought he would wait until later to ask."

"He tried. I found the box and told him to finish what he started last night" Mary replied, realizing she'd just been rather open with Stan. Marshall was turning her into a big sap.

"Congratulations to both of you."

"Thanks, but I know that isn't why you called."

"I tried to get Jinx and Brandi to make some decisions, but they don't seem to know what to do. The Griffins can't come back and James can't be sent to where they are located. It's too high of a risk. Legally speaking James is still married to Jinx. The divorce papers never finished going through the system yet. They need to know if the family wants a funeral and where his body should be buried. Jinx seems to not want to be a part of this. Mary the prison needs to know what to do. They want the body out of the prison."

"Alright, I'll gather Jinx, Brandi and Marshall and we can all come up with a plan and let the prison know."

"Let me know what you decide. I'll call the prison with your decisions. If either of you need anything, call" Stan said, before hanging up.

Mary didn't want to wake Marshall, but she knew they had to take care of her father's funeral arrangements. She didn't want to shake him awake he looked to peaceful. Leaning down she kissed his lips and stroked the side of his face. He started to wake slowly.

"Mare?"

"Stan called" Mary said, explaining what Stan had told her.

"You want to shower first or do you want me to?"

"Let's save time and take one together."

"Mare."

"Relax cowboy, nothing kinky at least not this time. Another time, definitely."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Brandi and Jinx were sitting at the kitchen table. Neither saying anything, but knew what conversation was coming. Mary had called and told them she and Marshall were on their way. They heard Marshall's car in the drive way.

Mary looked over at Marshall.

"Here we go" Mary said, playing with her ring.

"Do you want to take it off to not cause a distraction?" Marshall asked.

"No, it's not coming off. You put it on and it stays on for the rest of my life. Unless we get into a fist fight, then I'll wear it around my neck. I doubt I'll even take it of then though. It's the prefect size and shouldn't get in the way at all."

Marshall squeezed her hand before they got out of the SUV. Heading towards the house they saw Brandi waiting by the door. Brandi grabbed Mary into a huge hug.

"Mary, what are we going to do?"

"We'll all sit down and talk it out."

"Hi, Marshall" Brandi said, softly.

"How are you holding up?" Marshall asked, seeing the red eyes and knowing she'd been crying.

"Hanging in there. Mom, I don't even know what to think. She seems to have wiped her hands clean of him" Brandi replied, letting them step into the house.

They sat at the table and Mary reached under the table to hold Marshall's hand. She waited a few minutes for Brandi to sit down.

"Alright, we need to decide some arrangements for James. The prison needs answers and something has to be done with him" Mary started.

"Why don't the Griffins handle it?" Jinx snapped.

"They're not the Griffins anymore and they can't have the body shipped to where they are and can't come back to bury him. There is no way to know if they are safe or not. The fact that you were legally married to him and we're his children makes us responsible for his remains" Mary replied.

"How is that our problem? He sold us out. He set my babies up to be killed and your boyfriend…" Jinx started, but was cut off by Mary.

"My fiancé," Mary corrected.

"What?" Brandi and Jinx asked, eyes getting huge.

"I said my fiancé. That is what we call the person that you are going to marry" Mary said.

"When?" Brandi asked excited for her sister and glad for a distraction.

"Let's focus on the arrangements then we can discuss the engagement."

"Congratulations, Mary and Marshall. I'm happy for you, but I want nothing to do with James Griffin. I have my own life to live. I let that man ruin enough of it. If you two want to take care of him you go right ahead but I'll take no part in it" Jinx said, getting up and leaving.

"Brandi, what do you want?" Mary asked.

"I agree that James walked out on us, but he's still out father and he should have a proper burial. I don't think he should be buried as James Shannon though. He chose the Griffins over us, I can't ignore that. I think that he should be buried in Miami as James Griffin. It's where he chose to be and where he wanted to be" Brandi said, firmly. "Mary you were closest to him. What do you want?"

"I think you're right about him being buried as James Griffin, but I think that we should leave him in Phoenix. I don't want to introduce people to our family. I don't agree with anything that he did after he left us but I still think I want to go to the funeral. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but I think if we have it in Miami we expose ourselves to anyone else that he may have crossed. I'm not willing to risk myself or Marshall to any more cartels" Mary said.

"Alright, that makes sense. I want to go to the funeral, he was my father."

Marshall stood up and let Mary know he would tell Stan. Stan was going to relay the information to the prison.

Brandi waited until Marshall left the table before looking at Mary as she watched her eyes follow Marshall as he left the room to make the call.

"So can we talk about something happy for a little while before having to make any more decisions?" Brandi asked.

"Sure," Mary said, squeezing Brandi's hand.

"Let me see the ring."

Mary rolled her eyes, but gave Brandi her left hand.

Brandi smiled it was perfect for her sister. Unlike the rock that Raph bought Marshall went with practical and smaller which screamed Mary. She could see the happiness in Mary's eyes and the change in her sister since they had gotten together. It was incredible to see how much Mary had grown and to see her smile so much.

"It's beautiful. I'm so happy for the two of you. Marshall is perfect for you. I was wrong all those years ago when I said Raph was the best you could get. On the other hand, I will tell you this now. Marshall is the one for you so hang on tight and don't let him go."

"There is no way I'm losing my cowboy" Mary said, smiling. "I can't believe he waited for me after all of these years. I'm the one who got lucky."

"I think you're both lucky."

"I happen to agree with, Brandi" Marshall said.

Brandi smiled and hugged both of them.

"Stan gave me the number of the funeral home in Phoenix. We have to let them know if you want him cremated or embalmed. We're going to need to go there. Stan gave us the week off" Marshall said. "You just need to let me know when you want to leave and I'll make our arrangements."

"Tomorrow, I want this taken care of as soon as possible" Mary replied.

"I'll see if my boss will let me take the week off" Brandi said, before excusing herself to make the call.

"How are you holding up?" Marshall asked Mary.

"It's all surreal. I don't know why it hurts except he was my Dad, but he was never here. I waited so long for him to come home and when he did I found out he committed the ultimate betrayal. Less than two years later, I'm burying the man whom a part of me will always love no matter what I try to do to change that and another part will always feel betrayed" Mary said, frustrated as more tears fell.

"Come here" Marshall said, as Mary sat in his lap and buried her head in his shoulder. "You know Mare, you'll always be conflicted in some ways about your father and under the circumstances it's perfectly understandable. There's nothing wrong with loving the man you knew growing up. Hang on to those fond memories, Mare. Let them be how you remember him. Remember James Shannon and let James Griffing be a fading memory for you."

"Did I ever tell you that you're great?" Mary asked, sniffling.

"No, but remember that if you ever get mad at me" Marshall teased lightly hoping to lighten the mood a little.

"My boss gave me the week off too. If we need more time I just need to call him" Brandi said.

Marshall left the sister's talking knowing that Brandi needed to let her emotions out and she'd do that with Mary. He went in back and booked their flight, hotel rooms and an appointment at the funeral home before they headed home to pack.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall stood in the middle of both Mary and Brandi trying to support the two crying woman as they stood at their father's grave. Once the service was over Mary and Marshall stood back to let Brandi say her goodbyes before heading towards the car.

Marshall stayed far enough away from Mary to give her the privacy she needed but close enough to be there if she needed him.

"Hey Daddy. I know that things changed after you left us and I can't respect what you did, but I will always love the man who told me that he would give me the stars and the moon, the man who snuck me out when Jinx was drunk and the man who would pick me up and swung me around when I would come home. That is the man I love and will miss. That will be James Shannon. We had it set up so you will be remembered for the family you chose to protect and lost. We all make choices and they have consequences. I know that you were fighting the divorce papers Sarah sent you and that you died as James Griffin the man who loved them instead of us. It's a hard and bitter truth but I've learned to deal with it. The funny thing is if you hadn't walked out on us then I may not have become a Marshal and I wouldn't have met Marshall. It's the one thing that I can thank James Griffin for. I want you to know that I reached for the stars and the moon and I got them. I got so much more than I ever thought I coould by getting Marshall. Goodbye, Daddy. A part of me does love you still. I just wanted you to know" Mary said, before turning and seeking comfort from Marshall.

"You ready to go home?" Marshall whispered into her ear.

Mary nodded and took one last look before getting into the car and driving away.


End file.
